Ann awoke with the morning light to find she was still in the large meadow where the battle had taken place the night before. Slowly she sat up, shivering a little from the cold as she cradled her aching head in her hands.

"Why am I still here?" she wondered groggily, trying to piece her memories back together. In a rush, the events of the previous night came, and the image of Sesshomaru's blood-soaked clothing jolted her fully awake. Her hands dropped from her face as her eyes darted to the body that lay right next to her.

Sesshomaru was on his side, his normally vibrant aura dim, his arm settled across her lap. Ann's senses tingled as she realized he had been holding her while she was unconscious. She snatched up his hand to check his pulse, and after a tense moment, she found it, weak but present.

Gently setting his hand down, she moved around to his back. His armor had been cut through completely and his clothing, as well as the snow around him, was dyed dark brown from the dried blood. Its coppery scent was heavy in the air. The sight of his injury, a deep gash that had clotted but left his clothes glued to his skin, sent a pang of guilt through her. She picked tenderly at his jacket, trying to assess the damage, but the mess of blood and fabric made it impossible.

"At least it stopped bleeding," she thought, trying to find a positive in the dire situation. A tear rolled down her face, which she quickly swiped away. This was all her fault.

"Why am I so easy to manipulate?" she whispered to herself. Releasing a shaky breath, Ann shifted back around to Sesshomaru's front. "I gotta get him home," she muttered. Laying her hand on his shoulder, she gave him a gentle shake.

"Sesshomaru," she called softly. "You need to wake up." His eyes snapped open, their usual golden hue replaced by a shocking red. She fell back, a small gasp escaping her. His eyes gradually shifted back to gold, his face drawn and tired.

"What do you want, human?" he grumbled, his voice laced with pain.

"I want to get you home," she said, edging closer.

"Home?" he mumbled, his eyes squinting. "You're not going to abandon me?" Ann reached out tentatively, resting her hand on his shoulder again. She looked closely into his eyes, realizing his vision was out of focus. More guilt weighed on her. She didn't think he would die, but he was in this condition because of her. For Sesshomaru, she forced a smile.

"Now what kind of person would I be if I abandoned you?" she said brightly, squeezing his shoulder. "You saved me last night. I thought I was going to die, and you gave me what I needed to keep fighting." Sesshomaru's eyes narrowed.

"You know my motives," he mumbled. "If you die, Naraku wins." Ann chuckled, rising to her feet.

"That doesn't change the fact that you saved me. Now let me show my gratitude." She held her hand out to him. For a moment, he stared disdainfully at it. Ann couldn't imagine the battle between practicality and pride raging in his mind, but she waited patiently. Finally, his golden gaze met hers. He slowly placed his hand in hers and allowed her to help him to his feet. Once on his feet, he grunted and almost fell. Ann quickly braced him.

"Seriously?" Ann thought, anxious. "He really is hurt." Quickly, she crouched slightly, pulled his body across her shoulder and lifted. Her hand went to one of his legs to balance him. Sesshomaru tensed.

"What are you doing?" he demanded, a note of anxiety in his voice. "You do not need to carry me."

"Yeah, I do," Ann said, carefully balancing his weight. "If you getting to your feet was any indication as to how the walk home will be, then me carrying you will be a lot safer." The comment seemed to silence him, but she could feel the dark tension emanating from him.

"Yep. He's mad," Ann thought, but ignored it and began the walk home. After a while, his body relaxed and finally went limp. "He must have passed out," she thought, not breaking stride.

The journey back to the castle was agonizingly slow. Ann stumbled and slipped frequently, her legs trembling under Sesshomaru's weight, but she pressed on. Along the way, her mind was a maze of thoughts and emotions. Sesshomaru's welfare was more than just a matter of guilt. She recognized these feelings as similar to what she felt for Ichiro. Frustration filled her.

"Why am I feeling this way? Am I falling in love with Sesshomaru?" Her stomach twisted. "What about Ichiro? This is a betrayal of his memory and the promise I made." Her hand clenched on Sesshomaru's leg, and she sighed heavily.

"I can't fall in love," she thought. "I must avenge Ichiro's death and then keep my promise. I owe it to him and our daughter."

The sun was high above when Sesshomaru's castle came into view. Relief washed over her as she continued her slow advance. As she neared the walls a shout went up from the guards and the gates opened. Guards and servants rushed out, exclaiming over the sight of their master. A pair of the guards carefully lifted him off of her shoulder and carried Sesshomaru inside. Ann, fighting exhaustion, followed closely behind. On their way up the stairs, Kai fell into step next to Ann.

"What happened," she asked, her shocked eyes on her master's damaged form. A lump rose in Ann's throat, the guilt overwhelming her. It was so heavy upon her, that even the fact that Kai was a demon was not bugging her like it normally did.

"I made a mistake," Ann said, choking on a sob. "I left the castle, and I shouldn't have. I thought I could face Naraku, but it all went wrong." Ann gestured helplessly towards Sesshomaru.

"Ann, don't be so hard on yourself," Kai lightly chided. "My lord has been through many horrible battles and has always found a way to make it through. He will do the same this time too." She gently took Ann's elbow, directing her away from Sesshomaru. "Let me take you to your room. You need to rest." Ann yanked her elbow from Kai's grip, continuing after the servants carrying Sesshomaru.

"Not right now, Kai," she said, determined. "I'm going to help clean Sesshomaru."

"Wait. What? Why?" Kai spluttered as she quickly followed Ann. "You hate each other."

"He saved me," Ann said. "Naraku was going to slice me in half, and Sesshomaru got me out of the way, taking the damage instead." Kai was quiet for a moment. Ann could see the demoness watching her out of the corner of her eye.

"That's not the only reason. You're starting to like him or at the very least you're starting to respect him." Ann blushed but didn't respond, her inner emotions in turmoil. There was something there, a feeling blooming that she needed to stamp out. It was wrong in many different ways, not to mention Sesshomaru would never return her feelings. Before Kai could say more, Ann sped her pace up to walk further in front of her.

They entered Sesshomaru's room, the servants lying him on his bed. Ann and Kai kneeled next to him and began the slow process of pealing his jacket off of his back. Bowls of warm water were brought in, allowing them to wash the blood off until just the wound was left.

"What a mess," Kai muttered as she began blending herbs. Ann remained silent, her eyes on Sesshomaru's face. He was sweating with a fever and every once in a while, his face twitched with pain. Guilt and regret plagued her.

"What was I thinking?" Ann wondered. "I know what Naraku is capable of. He took Ichiro and now I almost lost Sesshomaru." Tentatively she laid her hand on top of Sesshomaru's.

"Ann," Kai's voice broke through her thoughts. She kneeled on the other side of Sesshomaru holding a stone bowl in her hands, her eyes sharp. "You love him. It's written all over your face. You can't hide it from me."

Ann's heart pounded, the truth laid bare. She looked down at Sesshomaru, his face relaxed in unconsciousness, and realized that Kai was right. Despite all the odds, despite the promises she had made to herself and to Ichiro, she had fallen for him. Her voice was barely a whisper when she replied.

"I don't know what to do. Her hand trembling on Sesshomaru's.

Kai gave her a compassionate look. "Sometimes, the heart knows what it needs, even if the mind tries to deny it. For now, let's focus on helping him recover. The rest will come in time."

Ann nodded, pushing her feeling to the back of her mind. She leaned forward and finished helping Kai with the herbs and bandages.

When Sesshomaru woke up, he could see out his window the colorful hues along the horizon of a setting sun. He lay on his stomach, so he shifted his arms to lift his body and was rewarded with a spasm of pain that shot out through his limbs from his back. He groaned more out of frustration then pain. This brought somebody to his bedside that spoke in a sing-song voice.

"I'm glad to see you are awake, my lord. How are you feeling?"

Sesshomaru glared at Kai as she kneeled next to him to check his bandages. She had been a part of his home for many years now and had been a part of his father's home before that. She was a bit too perky for his temperament, but she also was incredibly efficient at healing and herb lore. Besides that, she was loyal. She had proved that on more than one occasion. It was a big part of why he'd handed the priestess over to her care so easily. He knew she'd be safe without having to be in his constant presence.

"Your wound looks good," she said, her fingers moving nimbly across his back. "Minimal redness and swelling. You had a slight fever, but that seems to have passed."

Sesshomaru grunted and, with Kai's guidance, moved himself into a sitting position. As he glanced around his room, he was shocked to see the priestess curled up at the edge of his bed sleeping. Kai noticed his reaction, a small smile touching her lips.

"She refused to leave your side," she explained. "I've tried to get her to go to her own bed several times, but she won't hear it."

A swirl of emotions rose up in Sesshomaru. Something that felt like hope. Again he itched to touch her. She was near enough that he could, but with Kai in the room, he remained stationary and shifted his gaze to the window.

"Why would she do that?" he asked coldly.

"Well, partly she was trying to repay you for saving her life," Kai said, as she moved to Sesshomaru's side to apply a fresh herb paste to his wound. "You know she carried you all the way home."

A blur of a memory sparked in Sesshomaru's mind. That woman lifting him onto her shoulder as if he weighed nothing. Shock and humiliation had been at the forefront of his mind, but he had also been impressed. His gaze shifted back to her. Even while sleeping, she looked exhausted. Her face was pale and there were dark bags under her eyes. Once again, she had pushed herself too hard and this time it had been for him.

Against his better judgement, he stretched a hand out and laid it over one of her hands. It was slender and warm within his grasp, causing a swelling of more unfamiliar emotions to rise in himself. Kai paused in her work.

"My lord," she said softly. "I've known you for a very long time and you usually do the right thing, but be careful with Ann, please. She is a very broken girl."

"You don't think I realize that." he said, a warning in his voice.

"I know you realize that," Kai countered, continuing with her work. "I just don't want to see her more broken."

"Meaning?" Kai paused her work again, releasing a heavy sigh.

"She's beginning to develop feeling for you, my lord. She is conflicted, because of her past. But doing that kind of stuff," she indicated his hand, "will only make things harder on her."

Defiantly he clutched her hand tighter, but then, realizing himself, released her hand.

"She's foolish to care for me," he said. "She knows I keep her here merely to thwart Naraku."

Kai sighed again, a little exasperation entering her voice. "I'm just trying to warn you, my lord," she said. "You give her a sense of security that she hasn't felt in a long time, not even with her late husband. Maybe its just your strength that she is responding to or maybe its stress and her feelings will change into something else. I couldn't tell you. What I am begging of you is to be careful. I like her and I don't want to see her any more damaged."

At that moment, Ann stirred bringing their conversation to an end. She lifted her head, looking around through blurry eyes. She became alert as she realized that Sesshomaru was watching her.

"You're awake," she exclaimed, relieved. "I'm glad. Are you feeling okay?"

Sesshomaru's eyes narrowed, searching for deception, but she truly looked concerned.

"I'm fine," he answered shortly, his voice cold. "You should be resting in your own quarters."

Ann blinked, her cheeks staining red at his abruptness with her. "I just wanted to make sure you'd be okay," Ann ventured. "It was my fault that you were hurt."

"That is unnecessary," Sesshomaru said, his voice laced with a hint of impatience. "I am capable of taking care of myself." Behind him, Kai sighed, tucking his bandages back into place and gathering her supplies.

"My lord, I am done for now. I will come back to check on you soon." Her voice was light, like usual, but her eyes were giving him a significant look. He scowled, but she merely bowed and left the room.

A heavy silence fell over Sesshomaru and Ann, both of them trying to work through their emotions. Ann's hands clenched and she audibly swallowed.

"I didn't mean to offend you," she said softly, her eyes downcast. "I just couldn't leave you behind."

Sesshomaru looked at her, the conflict evident on her face. He should push her away. A relationship between them would only make killing Naraku more complicated. And there was the fact she was a human. Humans were weak and had no redeeming qualities, but as he watched her, Sesshomaru knew she was an exception to that line of thinking.

"You are not responsible for my wounds," he said, his voice softer than before. "Naraku is the one that should be suffering for my current state, not you."

Tears began to roll down her cheeks, which she aggressively wiped away. "But if I hadn't gone after him... if I hadn't been so reckless..."

"Enough." Sesshomaru interrupted her, his voice firm. "That is in the past now. Move forward."

Ann stilled and clenched her hands again. She finally lifted her gaze to his, her eyes red from crying and exhaustion. An unfamiliar ache formed in Sesshomaru's chest. The urge to protect her almost took control of his actions. He could take her hand again, maybe wrap her in his arms. How would she react? If Kai was right, she would probably come to him willingly, but she would hate herself. She would see it as a betrayal of her late husband's memory. That thought kept Sesshomaru motionless.

"You should rest," he finally said, his voice betraying a hint of his internal struggle. "You need your strength."

Ann's gaze dropped again, and she bit her lip, but she nodded. She slowly stood, wobbling in place and made her way towards the door. At the door, she placed her hand upon the frame and paused, glancing at him one last time. A look that he couldn't read passed across her face. She opened her mouth as if to say something, but then seemed to change her mind and left.

As the door closed behind her, he let out a breath he hadn't realized he'd been holding. His mind swirled with thoughts of Ann, her courage, her determination and the confusing emotions she stirred within him.

"Ann," he whispered. Her name was on his tongue before he could stop himself, and suddenly she was no longer "that woman". Conflicted, he lay back down, wincing slightly as his back protested the movement. Staring up at the ceiling, he let his thoughts drift. The path ahead was uncertain, and his feelings for Ann were growing harder to ignore. He knew he needed to maintain his distance, to protect both himself and her, but with every passing moment, that resolve was becoming increasingly difficult to uphold.