Normal Days by Ayako Rin

Heat

Disclaimer: I do not own Inuyasha. Rumiko Takahashi and Publisher reserves all rights.

WARNING: There is mention of rape in this chapter (although it does not happen)

Sesshoumaru watched expressionless as the couple in front of him hugged and whispered sweet nothings to each other. He hid among the darkness and the trees, the moon overhead unable to penetrate the thick forest and trees he hid behind. But while his mask showed nothing he was being stabbed and killed internally. His hands clenched into a fist but still nothing else indicated his inner torment his fury. His brother did not deserve her. Inuyasha was a fool who chased after the dead. After having enough of the foolish display in front of him he left, intent on getting rid the whirlwind of emotions lying beneath his mask before it caused devastating results.

His thoughts kept on going back to the pair in the clearing. The scent of his own blood reached his nose and he felt the faint trickle of it drip down from his hands. Sesshoumaru unclenched his fist and looked up to the sky trying to sort out his thoughts.

"Sesshoumaru-sama?" Rin asked questioningly as she stared up at her father.

"Return to camp with Jaken" was his only response as he slowly walked away towards the opposite direction of camp.

"Be safe otou-san!" Rin called out, long since used to his random departures. She would have asked him to return soon but such a thing was silly, especially when he never left for leisure but because he had to.

Not too late into the night as the group huddled over the camp fire a loud howl filled with pain and torment could be heard but it disappeared and was replaced by the sounds of satisfaction. The group jumped up nervous and uneasy at the unknown howl and unsure of what it meant.

"Feh, just forget about it, it's probably some ritual." Inuyasha remarked disinterested.

"Ritual?" asked Kagome who sat next to him.

Inuyasha turned his face from her not responding but she had the distinct feeling that he was embarrassed. Kagome looked over to Sango and Miroku in question who shrugged. Shippo tugged at her sleeve and whispered to her.

"Inuyasha might think that the ritual is a mating. But he's a hanyou so he can't really tell most of the time. Personally, I think it's a youkai that is just taking out stress.

Kagome nodded to Shippo in understanding. While both possibilities seemed like nothing would happen to them b she still didn't feel any better. Sesshoumaru had gone missing and Rin had simply told them that he departed. Usually when he left he would specify how long he would be gone or what he would be doing. But it had already been three hours! She was worried but she knew better than to bring it up with the group. Sesshoumaru was a full demon and unless he was missing for the better part of a month then none of the others would question it.

‘I feel insecure' thought Kagome at the sudden realization of the strange feeling within her; it was what amplified her unease and restlessness. ‘Sesshoumaru always stays up; I've never seen him sleep. Inuyasha goes to sleep right away. It feels safer with him here then when he isn't.'

The night wore on and Kagome waited even as everyone had started to go off to sleep. Even Inuyasha had climbed up his chosen tree, though not yet asleep. She knew he would not do so until she made a move to go to her sleeping bag. She sighed and did so or else he would start questioning her about why she wasn't sleeping.

Meanwhile Sesshoumaru and his beast reveled in the satisfaction of the blood on his hands. Youkai, animals, it didn't matter. Anything would do as long as he could destroy and kill. He took his time feeling every blood that dropped from his prey, and the thickness of their fur and skin as he sliced them into bits. The only thoughts that would be on his mind tonight was the need to kill. He needed nothing else to think about for the moment. The blood and screams of his opponents were enough to fill and comfort him in his rage.

As time wore on He became unsure of how long he had been away. It must have been at least a week, possibly two. His ward and retainer would be worried. Sesshoumaru took one more look at the pile of dead carcasses before speeding off to the group not too far away. He stopped a slight distance away from the group downwind of them, not wanting to be seen just yet. He was stunned to see the miko in practically hysterics and her friends as well. They were all arguing with his idiot half-brother.

"HE'S BEEN GONE FOR TWO MONTHS INUYASHA!" shouted the miko she was glaring at the stubborn hanyou who refused to look for his brother. She knew it was not because he didn't care but because he was unwilling to show that he was worried for his elder brother. Every night she caught him sniffing around looking for Sesshoumaru and she would sometimes see him dash of in the middle of the night. She knew it could not have been Kikyo because Inuyasha was not as careful when he went to look for her. For the last few weeks the hanyou had been worried and distracted it was easy to tell even for Sango and Miroku.

‘Two months?' thought Sesshoumaru surprised. It was far longer than he had had planned. "I'M TELLING YOU HE'S FINE!" Inuyasha shouted back glaring at the girl in front of him.

"Inuyasha calm down! Perhaps it is a good idea to look for your brother? We've all been worried this whole month!" Miroku said

"HALF-BROTHER! AND HE'S A FULL-BLOODED DEMON! HE DOESN'T NEED US TO TRY AND LOOK FOR HIM!" Inuyasha growled out both in stress and the fact that he didn't believe in his own words.

"Inuyasha we are going to look for him! If he were going away for this long he definitely would've told us!" Sango also tried to persuade Inuyasha to reason.

"Look we'll wait one more week for him and if he still doesn't come back THEN we'll look for him. He's probably off somewhere having a grand old time and leaving the hard tasks to us!" Inuyasha remarked.

Sesshoumaru's eyes narrowed at this his dislike for the half-breed increased even further.

"Do you really think your brother would do that? Just up and leave Rin here? Not even telling her that he would come back? Or even telling her that he would be gone longer so she didn't need to worry? SHE is use to him leaving and even she is WORRIED! She's been crying every night haven't you noticed?" Kagome snapped

"Of course I have! Don't you think I would?" Inuyasha yelled but said the last part softer his ears flat.

A silence swept the group as each tried to calm down. Tension was thick in the air still and the children that would have normally broken it had left before the argument began to play in the field not too far away. Kagome knew that Shippo would keep Rin away until he was sure that all of them had dropped the discussion.

Sesshoumaru still downwind felt a small feeling of guilt settle into him. He had neglected his ward and that was not acceptable. He silently thought of a way to make it up to her before finding the perfect excuse for his absence. Massacring idiotic demons had its uses. He had simply sent out a challenge to every full-blooded youkai in the vicinity and those foolish enough to consent made their demise. Such youkai included those that thought too highly of themselves because of the Jewel Shards they possessed. Sesshoumaru had gained a lot of those pieces as well as information. However it took a while before he could remember them all. At the time he had only been concentrating on forgetting and releasing his stress instead of the valuable information being given from the pleading youkais. After deciding on his course of action he began to calmly walk into the campsite.

Every one had long since calmed down and the kids were curled up together hovering over a small book with pictures that they drew and colored on. Everyone jumped in surprise and relief at his entrance.

"Otou-san!" Rin shouted with tears of relief as she got up and sprinted towards him hugging his leg instantly. Her cries were muffled as she buried herself in the legs of his pants.

Again Sesshoumaru felt the slight stab of guilt at what he put her through. But he had already figured out a way to make up for. Worrying and breaking a little girl's heart was NOT honorable and a bruised pride would be a small punishment for him. He slowly lifted his hand up and patted her on the head in comfort.

"Are you well?" He asked as he always did when he was away.

He felt her nod, her hands still wrapped around him in her small hug. Instead of loosening from it she tightened her hug as if he would suddenly disappear again.

"Sesshoumaru?" Kagome questioned.

He looked up from Rin and felt pain once more although this time not as strong as before. However, he felt a small warmth rise to his chest at her worry. If he could not have her love he would have at least her friendship. To protect her would be all he could do now.

Sesshoumaru responded to her by lifting his hand and holding out a handful of Jewel Shards making everyone in the group, including the miko gasp. They were a lot more than they could have gathered in whole year let alone in two months! "How did you-" But was cut off as Inuyasha interrupted.

"You could have at least said SOMETHING!" he yelled out.

"This Sesshoumaru did not intend to be away for so long. You have my apology." Sesshoumaru responded, although not to Inuyasha. He was referring to the group that had been (noticeably) worrying for him.

"Sesshoumaru-sama may I inquire as to how you gained these shards?" Miroku asked carefully.

"No." was the curt reply as he quickly picked Rin up and tucked her into her own small sleeping bag that Kagome had given her. Everyone stared as he pulled the covers over his ward she then nestled into her pillow and soon became fast asleep.

"Naraku" Sesshoumaru started making the group jump back in surprise. They had all been silent for a while each contemplating on where Sesshoumaru might've been and how he could've gotten so many shards.

"He lies towards the north seeking that which cannot be sought and wanting that which cannot be gained. It is a two way door in which he can both gain and lose everything."

The grouped looked at him confused.

"What the fu-" Inuyasha was about to say when Miroku cut him off

"What could it mean Lord Sesshoumaru?"

"It is all that I gathered from the lowly youkai that begged for its life to be spared." Was the only answered he received. Any questions afterwards were met with silence.

When everyone went to sleep Kagome stayed awake staring into the fire aware of Sesshoumaru staring at her.

"Miko go and sleep" Sesshoumaru ordered. His tone told her that she was not to disobey.

"I can't...I've developed insomniac." Kagome replied.

Sesshoumaru quirked a brow at that, he had never known the miko to be unable to go to sleep. Usually she would go right to sleep with no problem at all.

"How long has it been?" he inquired concern for her health filled him.

"Two months." Kagome replied.

"Right after I left' Sesshoumaru thought his heart skipping a bit but then he waved away the emotions that were threatening to rise up. The memory of why he left still burned in his mind and he simply would not think on it.

"I see" Sesshoumaru responded instead.

After hours of awkward silence Kagome finally gave up and went towards her sleeping bag that was across from Sesshoumaru and Rin. She then stopped and looked at it and then eyes traveled towards him.

"Sesshoumaru..." she whispered softly.

He stared at her as she bit her bottom lip and hesitated at whatever she wanted to say. He continued to stare as she fidgeted before seemingly deciding to give up on whatever notion she had. Sesshoumaru became surprised though as the look of dejectedness flared up to determination once more and she took her sleeping bag only to drag it all the way towards Rin's own makeshift bed where he himself was sitting near. Kagome then promptly settled into the bag and shut her eyes completely ignoring him. He could tell that she was not asleep though. In fact her heart was pounding in her chest fast and hard. Eventually it slowed down to a slow steady beat.

He felt a small twitch at the edge of his lips into a small almost unnoticeable smile before he closed his eyes and meditated, his sense still alert in case of danger.

The next morning when Sesshoumaru felt the sunrise starting he opened his eyes and glanced over at Rin who was still sleeping peacefully. He knew that she would soon awaken for she had always done so right after he "woke up". He would not be looking forward to the early morning knowing what he would allow her do. He silently thanked the fact that the other members of the group were not as early risers as Rin or he'd never allow the girl to do what he was about to let her do.

As if hearing his thoughts he watched as the girl began to stir. She opened her eyes and groggily rubbed the sleep from them before looking up. She broke out into a huge smile as she saw him. Quickly getting up from her place on the sleeping bag she ran over towards him and hugged him.

"Ohayo otou-san" She exclaimed softly careful with her voice so as to not harm his ears and to make sure that she would not wake anyone else up. Sesshoumaru nodded before sighing once again knowing he would regret what he was about to do. But at the same time the image of her tear stained face when she was worried about him and her utter relief when he came back still nagged him. He would have to put up with it. As long as no one else knew it would be fine.

"Rin" He said using his hand to motion at something. Her eyes widened in surprise before letting out a small squeal of delight. Her eyes shined brightly and he could've sworn she was glowing and brimming with the light of happiness as she ran behind him and began to play with his hair. At first she just touched it as if she was unsure if she had really gained permission to do so. After a while of getting use to it and glancing at him for approval she began thinking of various styles to do his hair in before implementing him. Sesshoumaru felt the complete moment of dread when she said that she wanted to put flowers in his hair. He was about to refuse when the he remembered what he had silently promised himself he'd do. He sighed once more before agreeing. This was what Kagome woke up to when she heard a joyful laugh near her.

At first she thought that she had been dreaming but after repeatedly rubbing her eyes and pinching her cheek she knew it was not a dream and did her very best not to burst out laughing at the scene in front of her. Sesshoumaru had his hair braided; it was placed over his shoulder flowing down in its braid onto his lap as Rin stuck flowers everywhere she thought would look nice. He even had a crown of flowers as well.

"Rin...Sesshoumaru?" She said softly still in wonderment but also let out a few giggles.

Sesshoumaru looked away not wanting to see the laughter in her eyes nor the look she would give him in such an undignified position. He would not go back on his word but that did not mean he had wanted her to see it.

"Rin you made Sesshoumaru so...so...cute!" Kagome exclaimed to the little girl. Cute was a word that one would normally not associate with Sesshoumaru but it was the only word that made sense with the little girl putting flowers on him and playing with his hair.

"Hai! But Rin has had enough now. Will Kagome kaa-san help otou-san?" Rin asked adorably with her head slightly tilted to the side in order to look at her better from her sitting position behind Sesshoumaru.

"Hai! I would love t-" She stopped when she realized what Rin had just called her.

Sesshoumaru's eyes widened as well but he made no move to correct her nor did he look at Kagome.

Kagome was frozen though waiting for Sesshoumaru to say something but he acted as if he did not hear it. She took it as a sign to go along with it. After all Rin was just a child. It would not be such a bad thing if the little girl had a mother figure and it might as well be Kagome herself since the girl had formed an attachment to her, even more so, when Sesshoumaru had left on his mysterious journey of two months.

"Kaa-san?" Rin asked worriedly.

"I'm all right. Come on lets fix Sesshoumaru's hair now shall we?" she asked Rin before settling near Sesshoumaru and gently taking the flowers off.

"Hai! It wouldn't be good if everyone woke up to see otou-san like this" Rin said happily.

"Hai, it would very funny wouldn't it?" Kagome asked looking at Sesshoumaru who narrowed his eyes a bit but otherwise had not responded.

"No! Only we can see otou-san like this!" Rin said disagreeing while shaking her head.

"Oh?" Kagome inquired amusement dancing in her eyes as she stared at Rin who then nodded her head in response.

Just as they finished taking the last flower out from Sesshoumaru's hair the group began to awaken. Sesshoumaru continued to sit in silence as Inuyasha woke up and rudely shouted for everyone else to do so. He felt the need to punch the hanyou and perhaps stab him a few times with the Tensaiga. It would not kill him but that did not mean it would not hurt. Sesshoumaru preferred to think of the sword as a reversed blade when it was not needed and when its powers became dormant.

He then sniffed around and whirled in his direction with a look of confusion on his face. "Why the hell do you smell like flowers?" he asked.

Sesshoumaru did not respond just continued to ignore him but the sounds of giggles were heard behind him. He felt both Rin and Kagome touch his shoulder and arm on each side of him. He was pleased even if the touch from Kagome had not been intentional.

"Uncle Inuyasha maybe you should bathe more. Then you'll smell nice like otou-san!" Rin exclaimed her eyes wide and smiling innocently.

Inuyasha glowered but said nothing to the little girl. It was one thing if Shippo had said that but this girl was just too innocent! He knew while the words could've been an insult she had not viewed it that way. It was a childish logic that only fellow children could understand and would only amuse adults. Which was why Kagome was currently holding in her laughter unsuccessfully.

"Feh" He replied to the other girl and pointedly ignored both her and Sesshoumaru after that.

"What are you doing there hanging all over him anyways Kagome?" Inuyasha asked gruffly.

Taken back at what Inuyasha had said she stood up and glared back at him. "Just what are you saying Inuyasha?" She glowered.

"I'm saying your hanging all over him like a bitch in heat!" Inuyasha said growling.

"Inuyasha SIT!" She shouted. Inuyasha's face instantly hit dirt.

"How DARE you say such a thing!"

"Its true your-" Inuyasha muffled but was interrupted as Kagome yelled out sit once more and he slammed down to the ground again for the second time.

"So early in the morning Inuyasha?" yawned Miroku as he got his staff from its resting place on a tree and walked over, looking at the grounded hanyou.

"Shut up!" came the crude reply before getting up and huffing.

Sesshoumaru watched the exchanges within the group with amusement. He had almost forgotten the...excitement in the mornings. They really were strange in how they interacted and it served as a great entertainment to watch as his half-brother slammed to the ground. It almost made him forget to hate the idiot...

"Uncle Inu why do you always make Kaa-san angry? Do you like being on the ground? Rin can't imagine why anyone would like to eat dirt! Jaken says that you must eat dirt all the time because you have a dirty mouth that shouts things Rin isn't allowed to hear." Rin said staring at Inuyasha.

Sesshoumaru inwardly smirked however. Rin really was innocent but he was also aware that although her innocence was not an act it was also used so that she would not get in trouble when remarking on the obvious. It did not go unnoticed to him that she disliked the hanyou for always insulting her mother figure. "Just be quiet Rin!" Inuyasha yelled. Normally he would've said "shut up!" or called her a brat but after being sat a bazillion times by Kagome for using such language at her he learned to not to say those things to the little girl. Then he froze at remembering just exactly what she had said before the comment about eating dirt.

"WHY DID YOU JUST CALL KAGOME AS IF SHE WAS YOUR MOTHER?" Inuyasha suddenly shouted shocked.

"Because Kagome is Rin's kaa-san!" Rin said as if that was the most obvious and logical thing in the world.

Inuyasha was about to burst once again. It was one thing for the little girl to keep on indirectly insulting him but referring Kagome as her mother? What was with THAT? It would be saying that she and Sesshoumaru were...well...He didn't even want to THINK about that! Kagome was HIS! Not his human hating brother's!

"Calm down Inuyasha." Said Sango. She was, surprisingly, the first one trying to calm the hanyou. "Is it really such a surprise? Rin needs a mother figure and Kagome is the only one here that fits the role".

"Why not YOU then!?" Inuyasha snapped clearly irritated.

Sango shrugged not bothered by it at all before reply "Kagome is a better motherly figure, she is a lot gentler than me."

"Sango..." Kagome said feeling slightly bad now. Sango may make it seem like it was no big deal but she knew that the other woman was sensitive about things like being feminine.

"It's alright Kagome. I'm really not bothered by it." Sango said with another shrug. "I prefer to be the aunt, or teacher, or even sister."

"Hai! Sango-neechan is the best!" Rin exclaimed lightening the atmosphere. "Rin knows how to do a cartwheel while kicking Jaken in the face!"

The toad suddenly made squawking sounds and was swinging his staff of heads wildly at the declaration! He was glaring at the demon slayer wanting to maul her.

"It was you who taught her that nasty trick!" The toad yelled.

"Yeah I did! What are you going to do about it toad?" Sango asked her eyes glinting dangerously.

"Er...um..." Jaken replied backing away from her nervously.

Shippo snickered, still in his sleeping bag watching the scene with interest. Hiding had its advantages including seeing Sesshoumaru with flowers in his hair earlier. He was glad that he managed not to make a loud fuss about it or it would've been his head! Now Jaken was about to be creamed and this was just too good to miss!

After an hour or so more of listening to the groups banter and idleness Sesshoumaru decided that he has had enough of it. It wasn't that the group and irritated him but more of the fact that it was just time for everyone's foolishness to cease. They were all entertaining no matter what anyone said but forgetting about their mission was unacceptable. Deciding that it would be best to leave now while it was still early Sesshoumaru stood up from his previous sitting position. This caught the attention of everyone in the group.

"We leave" Sesshoumaru stated calmly. Two words. That was all it took for the whole group to suddenly be packed and ready to leave and continue on their journey.

"Why are you all suddenly ready to leave when HE" Inuyasha yelled pointing the Sesshoumaru "tells you to. But when I do it you all ignore me!?"

"It's because you never let us become fully awake and you're always pushing us even when we're about to collapse! Sesshoumaru...err...Lord Sesshoumaru lets us have fun and be relaxed for awhile before we have to continue." Shippo said in a matter a fact tone. He only stumbled slightly at the look Sesshoumaru gave him when he didn't mention his title.

Everyone agreed with Shippo's statement and avoided looking at Inuyasha. The hanyou was still their friend and companion but they could not help but prefer Sesshoumaru's leadership. It was something they had missed when he disappeared for two months, because then Inuyasha would make them go further then they could and then everyone would be too tired out the next day while he continued to yell for them to get up and leave. With Sesshoumaru things were different even with battles. It was not just the added strength to the group but the tactics in battle. No one got hurt seriously even with the toughest battles they barely got scratched since Sesshoumaru always insisted they have a plan of action. If they entered a situation where they did into come up with one before hand he would make one up on the spot and order them into positions where they would be the most helpful.

Inuyasha still grumbled about it but knew better than to argue. His ears lay flat on his head and his body tense. Everyone felt slightly guilty at this knowing full well that the hanyou felt out of place with his brother. They equally knew that he detested following his brother's orders even when he knew that it was for the best.

"Perhaps if you were to act as a better leader you would not have this problem." Sesshoumaru said disgusted at Inuyasha's childish attempts at playing leader.

"Why YOU!" Inuyasha bellowed ready to jump at Sesshoumaru any second.

"Inuyasha Sesshoumaru stop it!" Kagome yelled her anger cut through their hostility before it could start.

Neither of them responded to her but they both made a move to lead the group onward. They then both stopped and glared because Sesshoumaru followed no one and Inuyasha did not want his brother to lead. Even though he had been use to it two months before but after getting his "leadership position" back he didn't want to give it up so soon. Brother or not he'd fight for the alpha position if he had to.

Sesshoumaru made a low warning growl and Inuyasha growled back. Both of their eyes flashed red for a second before turning back to their original colors. The staring contest lasted for what seemed like ages before Kagome called to them once again. Inuyasha turned towards her voice instantly as he was accustomed to, he thought Sesshoumaru would to but he had not. He made a low noise showing that he had won their silent battle. Inuyasha growled once more this time in frustration.

And this is how the group's journey for the day began. Sesshoumaru was in the very front of the group, Sango and Kagome in the middle, and Miroku and Inuyasha in the back. The children and Kiara changed their walking/running positions frequently as they played tag or other such games around the group. Sometimes they would even run in circles around a member or the entire group.

They continued this for hours and well into the early evening before they stopped. They had not spotted a single youkai nearby which was very suspicious since there were usually at least ten or so that they would encounter because of the Jewel Shards. They didn't even come across any villages. The last one wasn't as surprising. The group had learned long ago that Sesshoumaru avoided the villages unless they had to stop there for supplies.

"Sesshoumaru-sama do you sense anything strange so far?" Miroku asked uneasily. "There have not been any youkai in the area lately. It is very peculiar."

"Yeah it really is strange. I can't help but get a bad feeling about it" Sango remarked as well.

"Feh, he probably doesn't know!" Inuyasha said still angry about this morning's comments or lack thereof.

"It is not surprising that there are no youkais here." Sesshoumaru answered but did not elaborate on the reason. The truth was that he had killed all of the youkai in the area that were within a weeks journey for the group. They would not be encountering any youkai any time soon, not perhaps countering one or two strays.

"What do you mean Sesshoumaru?" Kagome asked trying to get him to say more. But he remained silent not offering to share any more information upon it. Despite this the group relaxed a bit more, understanding that if they really did need to know the reason then he would tell them.

"It's because the smell of dead youkai is everywhere. It's not near the group so it isn't that strong but the smell shows that there are a lot of them far away. It wouldn't be a surprise if some youkai can't smell it." Shippo said earning a sharp glance from Sesshoumaru who then proceeded to ignore him. Everyone also looked at Shippo and noted the under lying meaning behind it. The meaning was that Inuyasha couldn't smell it before because he was a hanyou and his senses not as strong.

"A lot of dead youkai? Maybe even all of the youkai in the area? I wonder what's happening..." Miroku muttered to himself.

"We need not be concerned over it. This Sesshoumaru knows the reason and that is all you need to know." Sesshoumaru said to the Monk staring at him long enough for him to know that he was not to dwell on it any further.

"Of...of...course Sesshoumaru-sama." Miroku said a little nervously. He had a feeling that it had to do with the reason that the demon lord wasn't with them for the past two months.

"Otou-san...Rin is tried" Rin said softly as she tugged at his sleeve. Sesshoumaru spared a glance at her before nodding and continuing on. They walked for half an hour more before he allowed them to stop. He then pointed to both a nearby stream and a hot spring. The girls thanked him and then hurried off. First they went to find fish before hurrying off afterwards to the springs. Shippo was in charge of cleaning the fish since he had eagerly told them that he was a "big demon now" and could do it. Kagome had showed him briefly how to do it before leaving. The kitsune now proceeded to clean the fish and cut the scales off but it didn't look as if he was doing it entirely correctly. The kit had let out a yelp when he accidentally cut himself from the scales and occasionally had to get some of it off his nails because it got stuck making the cutting harder.

(AN: I know that technically you can't skin fish or at least I don't think so but go a long with it kay? ^-^ And I didn't want to call it scaling a fish because that's weird... 0.0")

"Kitsune." Sesshoumaru said finally having enough of the small fox's inexperience. Had the hanyou not taught him ANYTHING? He would have thought that Inuyasha would teach a pup in the pack necessary survival knowledge. The hanyou was forgiven of doing so when he had first entered the group, thinking that the whelp didn't want to teach the kit in front of him. After all, one of the most irritating things to a youkai was teaching a younger pack member how to survive and then being critiqued for doing so. But Sesshoumaru had been gone for two months, plenty of time to teach the young kit.

"Err...Hai?" Shippo asked still preoccupied with his concentration on his duty with the fish.

"Come. I will teach you how to properly catch and skin the fish." Sesshoumaru said getting up.

Shippo looked up and frowned. "But we have a lot of fish already" he said confused.

"But you did not catch them did you?" Sesshoumaru stated more than asked. The truth was that the fish that the fox worked on was too...destroyed to be able to eat. But because the kit was too young and impressionable to be told such a thing he had opted to imply that the kit should learn how to fish as well...which was true for it was one of the most basics things for a pup to learn.

Shippo nodded in understanding and stood up as well. This time he looked up, eyes shining with excitement. He hurried and ran towards the river before Sesshoumaru could say another word. Sesshoumaru calmly followed the kit inwardly pleased that the kitsune had at least the desire to learn. A scream of "HENTAI!" was heard nearby and a loud smack. The yells of a certain monk and hanyou were heard as well as they began running back to camp. Sesshoumaru ignored this having seen this before and to him it was NOT entertaining. It was low and disgusting and he would not lower himself to indulging in such dishonorably activities.

As he came nearer to the river he heard splashes and saw the kit trying to catch a fish to no prevail. It was time to stop thinking of the two foolish men back in camp and time to teach. If he did not take over the young kit's education than he would hate to find out what kind of youkai the kit would become under the influence of his idiot brother and perverted monk.

By the time the new set of fish was caught and skinned skillfully by both Sesshoumaru and his new young "apprentice" as he now called himself, the girls came back dragging the two men that had once more gone to spy on them.

"I was trying to stop him I swear!" Inuyasha growled out glaring at the unconscious monk with a perverted smile plastered onto his face. The girls completely ignored them and ended up throwing them into the river before going back to camp.

"Kagome, Sango, Rin, look!" Shippo called out in greeting when they came back. He showed them the fish and the neatly and accurately skinned fish. It took him about two dozen fishes before he did it perfectly, or in his opinion perfectly. According to Sesshoumaru it was "acceptable". But for Sesshoumaru to say that it must have been equivalent to "great job!"

"Sugoi! Shippo that's amazing!" Kagome and Sango exclaimed. The kit really did surprise them; they had both thought they might've needed to catch a new batch of fish since they knew that he had no experience with cleaning or skinning it. Shippo seemed to glow a bit more from the praise but despite that he was more proud of the fact that he had gotten "praised" from Sesshoumaru before.

"There's a lot more fish then there was before!' Rin exclaimed, not really knowing the full "greatness" of skinning a fish, she herself had long since been able to do so.

At the sudden look from the two young women Shippo's expression grew sheepish. His face turned slightly red as he looked down at his feet and fidgeted a bit.

"Well you see...I didn't do a very good job and Sensei taught me how to catch fish and skin them so...yeah..." Shippo said with a paw hand scratching at the back of his head.

"Sensei?" Questioned Kagome and Sango in unison as they looked at each other.

"Hai! Sesshoumaru-sensei!" Shippo said proudly.

This turned their direction to the youkai sitting against a tree with his eyes closed. He did not turn towards them or appear to be listening at what they were saying. In fact he appeared to be resting...not that any of them would assume such a thing all ready accustomed to how he did things. They knew he was listening but chose to ignore them.

Sango gave Kagome a look that basically said ‘what can we say? At least its nice that Shippo is learning.' And then went off to inspect a fish to evaluate Shippo's new found skill. He seemed eager to show her in detail on how he skinned it. Rin asked if they could cook it now and Kagome nodded before walking over to the demon lord.

"Sesshoumaru" Kagome said softly. He didn't look up or responded to her in any way but she knew he had to be listening. "Thank you for teaching Shippo."

Sesshoumaru opened his eyes and looked at her for a moment. "The foolish hanyou did not teach anything to the kit"

"Hai I know, I tried to get him to a couple of times but he always says that Shippo can learn himself." Kagome said.

"Idiot." Sesshoumaru growled.

"Yeah he can be like that sometimes." Kagome responded, but it held a warm glow to it as well. Sesshoumaru felt a sudden pain in his chest at that. ‘I will stay calm there is no reason for this Sesshoumaru to be like this. I have all ready come to terms of not being with the miko'

"Sesshoumaru?"

He did not respond this time. He shut his eyes as he the sounds of two very wet men came back to camp.

"Oi there was no need to throw us into the river!" Inuyasha shouted.

Everyone ignored him and Kagome kept wondering what was wrong with Sesshoumaru. True he was always like this but this time he seemed more...she couldn't find the right word for perhaps it was lonely? Or maybe it was forlorn? No, neither of those words really fit Sesshoumaru...She frowned.

"Thank you again Sesshoumaru," She whispered quietly. She then went to Rin and Shippo who were waiting for the fish to be cooked. She sat with them a placed more of the raw fish near the fire.

"What are you thanking him for?" Inuyasha yelled out. He was beyond pissed. First he got hit by Sango and Kagome while he was trying to stop the Monk and then again a second time. They then threw him into the river and he comes back with everyone admiring his hated brother!!

"He taught me how to skin the fish! He also said that he would teach me how to skin other animals too!" Shippo said excitedly. This earned an even more surprised look from Kagome and Sango because they had thought the fish was a one-time thing.

"That's great Shippo!" Kagome said smiling and relieved that Shippo would have someone to teach him things.

"Feh, if you were a real demon you would learn how to do them yourself like a real demon! When I was your age I was already fending off hordes of demons and surviving on my own!" Inuyasha said.

This caused Shippo to frown and become dejected. Inuyasha had a way of making everyone feel weak or useless. It was surprising how quickly his happiness seemed to melt away because usually Shippo ignored Inuyasha's comments.

"You say so hanyou but you have forgotten who it was that taught YOU how to survive." Sesshoumaru replied his eyes narrowing in anger. ‘He has no leadership skills, and he does not even take responsibility of teaching the kit. His actions are hindering everyone. To say such things to a pup no matter what species is something that he, himself, would never do. A pup learning new skills and growing should not be discouraged from learning.

"No one taught me," snapped Inuyasha while glaring at Sesshoumaru.

"Is that so half-breed? Have you forgotten how long it took you to skin the fish that I caught for you? Or how you learned to Iron Soul Reaper and Blades of Blood?" Sesshoumaru asked his eyes narrowing once more. ‘Ungrateful whelp!' growled the beast inside Sesshoumaru. While it was true that Sesshoumaru hated Inuyasha he was still pack and the inner beast inside the demon lord recognized that. It permitted Inuyasha many things, but for Inuyasha to deny that his own pack member had taught him was something unforgivable. It was equivalent to deny belonging to the pack. To do that was one of the greatest betrayals and the greatest crime.

Inuyasha continued to glare at him. "You didn't teach it to me. I simply saw you doing it and mimicked it. I taught myself! You never corrected positions or show me in any great length of details on how to do any of it. I had to SPY on you."

"Did you honestly think that I didn't know you were there?" Sesshoumaru growled out.

They stared for a while before both simultaneously jumped towards each other. Everyone yelled out in protest as the brothers fought, barking and growling as any dog would during a fight. They then came tumbling dangerously close to the fire before Sesshoumaru kicked Inuyasha high into the air who then landed about ten feet away from the fire and fish cooking. They ran towards each other once again this time swords drawn. Sesshoumaru, unlike all the other times he fought with Inuyasha, had not held back. The fight stopped when Sesshoumaru pinned Inuyasha against the ground with his hand on Inuyasha's throat threatening to snap it. Inuyasha at first continued to stare in defiance but with one more squeeze to his throat he gave up by casting his eyes down showing that he submitted. When Sesshoumaru let go the hanyou ran off to sulk somewhere.

No words were exchanged at what had just happened. Sesshoumaru had simply indicated for Shippo to get the fish that was beginning to burn after the fight. Shippo obliged to the silent request immediately. Everyone settled down leaving the bruised hanyou alone as they ate.

The next day the group had surprisingly stopped at a village, although Sesshoumaru had chosen to stay in the forest while everyone went in. Rin had chosen to stay as well not wanting to leave her father despite the coaxing of the others. She gave up when Shippo said that Sesshoumaru would be teaching him how to skin other pray and fighting. Rin had only wanted to stay to make sure that Sesshoumaru would not leave. If Shippo was going to be near her father then she would feel better. She had wanted to stay near her Kaa-san as well.

"Rin do you want to go and buy anything?" Kagome asked as the two of them and Sango walked along the village market place.

"Rin doesn't need anything." Rin said looking around at all the displays. That was until she caught sight of a stall that seemed to be a game or sorts. Everyone was allowed to reach into a box and pull out three small balls. The color of the balls would match what free item they would be allowed to get.

"Kaa-san why does that man do that?" Rin asked Kagome confused "Why is he giving stuff away for free?"

"It's actually good for business Rin" Kagome said. By letting everyone have a free spin they also look at his wares. People tend to go and try and even if they can't win anything really good they still end up buying something from him.

"Oh! Can Rin try?" Rin asked curiously. Kagome nodded and brought her towards the booth.

"All you have to do is pull out three balls. If you get lucky and pull up at least one golden ball then you can get a free outfit from my store. Any of them that you like." The man said cheerfully.

"Only outfits?" Rin asked

"Well those are the most expensive usually but you could have something else if you wanted." The man said.

"And if Rin gets a different color?" Rin asked again.

"Then you get a prize matching the color of the ball. The paper here shows you which color goes with what," the man said waving at the small poster pinned to the stall.

Rin nodded, her curiosity for the time being satisfied as she reached into the box. She felt around for three small balls with one hand, she knew that she could get three with one draw easily because of the size of the balls. When she lifted her hand out and showed the man the colors she got everyone let out a loud gasp. Rin had successfully pulled out three golden colored balls.

"Rin!" Kagome said excitedly "You won the golden prize! No three golden prizes!"

Rin blinked not at all fazed by it. "But Rin doesn't want any outfits." She said looking down at her own. "Rin is fine with the one otou-san gave her"

"Hai but it would be nice to have more just in case wouldn't it Rin?" Sango asked kneeling down to her level.

"Rin doesn't want it." Rin said again this time more insistently.

The stall keeper scratched his head not really knowing what to do. After all, the girl pulled the prizes out and he had to give her SOMETHING. If he didn't it would look bad for the store and rumors would go around saying that he wouldn't really give out the prizes as he said he would.

"Rin" Kagome said...then thought for a moment and smiled. "How about you get something for Sesshoumaru?"

"Otou-san?" Rin asked.

"Hai... you can get whatever you want remember?" Sango said going along with Kagome.

"Okay and Okaa-san and Sango-neechan can get something too!" Rin exclaimed before running into the store behind the stall. The two girls looked at each other and then shrugged. After all they probably couldn't convince the little girl otherwise.

"Kaa-san! Kaa-san! Get this one!" Rin said pointing at a beautiful Kimono. It was well made with what looked like silk but it felt slightly heavier then silk. It was white with red flowers similar to Sesshoumaru's own. While looking fragile and delicate it also looked like it was made for traveling at the same time. Kagome looked at the storekeeper questioningly.

"I got that from a strange woman who came here. She said that the outfit was made of thread better than silk and that it was similar to armor as well but light. I'm not sure if she was right in the head but I guarantee you there is nothing wrong with the outfit. Try it on if you like"

Kagome nodded and went into a small room where customers could try on the clothes. When she came out Rin and Sango both exclaimed how beautiful she looked in it. "Kaa-san get this one!" Rin said hopefully. Kagome nodded and thanked Rin for winning the three golden prizes and allowing her to use up one of them.

"Otou-san would like it" was all Rin said happily. This caused a blush to rise to her face at the mention of the demon lord.

‘What am I doing?' thought Kagome as Sango and Rin looked around at the store once again. ‘ I love Inuyasha don't I? I mean he told me two months ago that he cared about me...and that even though he couldn't tell for sure if he loved me like I did him, I'm important to him. But I feel so strange around Sesshoumaru...it's different from Inuyasha but it feels nice...'

Kagome shook her thoughts away when Sango came out wearing a new outfit as well. She had decided to get this one because of Rin's offer and thanked her. Rin was looking around trying to find something that she might give to her father.

"What are you going to give him?" Kagome asked Rin as she put down a small trinket.

"Rin doesn't know." Rin replied looking around everywhere except for the area with clothes.

"Hmm...Sesshoumaru doesn't seem to want or need anything" Sango remarked thinking.

"He does seem hard to shop for" Kagome said as well looking around intent on helping Rin.

Just then Rin spotted a black hair tie and picked up and waved it around. "I found it!" Rin yelled.

"A hair tie? Sango asked surprised. Instead of picking it as a prize they could easily pay for it instead.

"Hai! Rin wants to get Otou-san this!" Rin said

"Rin we can just buy this for him, lets find something else to use for the prize." Kagome suggested but Rin shook her head.

"Rin wants to get something for Otou-san by herself. It won't be from Rin if Kaa-san buys it" Rin said.

"All right then we'll get it." Kagome said smiling. After all it was her prize and it was just so cute.

They exited the store and went straight back to forest around where Sesshoumaru should be. Rin had wanted to give it to him right away so both Kagome and Sango followed after her to make sure nothing happened.

"Rin why do you want to give that to him?" Sango asked curiously.

"Otou-san's Otou-san had his hair up in a ponytail. Rin wants Otou-san's hair like that too! " Rin said as bounced and skipped along the path.

Kagome and Sango were reminded of what happened during the battle over the sword Sou'nga (sp?). They had been able to briefly glimpse at InuTaisho before the gates of hell closed.

As they traveled a bit farther into the forest they met up with a comical sight. Shippo was attempting to lift what appeared to be a dead giant bear off the ground. The weight then became too much for him and his arms gave out on him making him trapped between the ground and the corpse of the bear. He was wailing loudly and trying to get out. While all this was happening Sesshoumaru calmly with his mask still in place stood beside the corpse on the other side of Shippo watching with veiled amusement. He looked up when they three of them came near.

"Waaaaa get it off! Get it off!" Shippo cried out.

"You should be able to do so yourself." Sesshoumaru replied.

"But it's too heavy" Shippo protested.

"It is not if you concentrate." Sesshoumaru said evenly.

Kagome watched as Shippo scrunched up his brows together and attempted to move the bear once again. He lifted it up just a tiny bit before rolling out of the way. He got up feeling satisfied after that.

"I did it!" He exclaimed jumping up and down.

"Indeed." Was the curt reply.

"How come Shippo doesn't have super strength like you Otou-san?" Rin asked her head slightly tilted to the side so she can get a better look.

"He needs to mature more before he is given the rest of his youkai abilities." explained Sesshoumaru. "However he should be able to tap into them if he concentrates hard enough. If he does so he can receive the rest of his abilities before they release themselves. He will become exceptionally stronger than most kitsunes if he can manage that." The last part of the explanation had been towards the two older women and the kit himself.

"I can do it!" Shippo said with a look of determination on his face.

"We shall see. Now go ahead and skin the bear like before. It should be similar to the dear and rabbits you've practiced on" Sesshoumaru said making a move to sit next to a tree near the kit.

"Hai Sensei!" Shippo said and began to get to work on the bear.

Kagome gently nudged Rin towards Sesshoumaru indicating the small bag she held. She looked up and nodded while hurrying over to her father with the bag. It bounced slightly up and down in her arms because of her fast movements. Sesshoumaru lifted a brow up staring first at Kagome who smiled and then at Rin.

"Otou-san Rin got this just for you all by herself!" Rin exclaimed. Sesshoumaru didn't respond but looked up to Kagome one more so that she could elaborate.

"It was one of those prize booths that stores set up. She won three golden prizes. She let Sango and I get something since she didn't want anything else and she got you something too." Kagome explained to him. Sesshoumaru nodded and looked back to the eager Rin who held out the bag to him.

Sesshoumaru took it and lifted his brow up once more when he found the small hair tie. He patted the girl on the head but he made no move to tie his hair up much to the disappointment of Rin.

"Does Otou-san not like it?" Rin asked worriedly.

"It is...appreciated" Sesshoumaru answered carefully.

Rin frowned a bit still looking slightly dejected when Kagome once more explained to Sesshoumaru "She wants you to tie your hair up in a low ponytail like your father's"

Sesshoumaru's eyes widened slightly as he looked back at the hair tie. He hesitated slightly unsure if he should tie it up. The reason why he kept his hair down was because he did not feel like he could live up to his father's legend as the strongest taiyoukai that had ever lived.

"Otou-san?" Rin said looking up her eyes hopeful.

"Sesshoumaru?" Kagome said she looked at him her eyes worried.

Sesshoumaru looked at the hair tie once more before making up his mind. He reached back to his hair and started pulling it into a low ponytail. When he finished tying it both Rin and Kagome's eyes lit up.

"Sugoi you really do look a lot like him with your hair tied like that," Kagome said

"Hai! Otou-san looks even more amazing!" Rin exclaimed.

Sango nodded silently in agreement she too was amazed at the similarities. Shippo looked up from his skinning as well and admired the new look. The air about Sesshoumaru was always very royal and sophisticated but it had been more towards a princely way but now it was different. It was very...he couldn't describe it. He was just very proud at the fact that he had such a great teacher.

‘If only Kagome and Sesshoumaru could get together. Then Rin and I can be siblings and I'll have a father.' Shippo thought. Everyone all ready knew that Shippo looked towards Kagome as his surrogate mother even though he had never called her as such. He was always reluctant to because he was afraid of how she might respond. But because Rin was doing it he thought it might just be all right to. However, no amount of observation or courage would get him to call Sesshoumaru "Otou-san" unless Kagome was mated to the demon lord. That way he had an excuse to call the demon lord that and wouldn't have his head chopped off.

Sesshoumaru didn't respond to any of their admirations he just turned his head away from them before ordering Shippo to get back to work on skinning the bear. Shippo immediately did so skillfully cutting into the bear's skin. It had taken awhile for him to breach all the fur but as Sesshoumaru said before if he concentrated enough he could do it with one sweep of his claws.

"I'll be going back to the village now" Sango said after a while of watching Shippo. It was awkward for her to be near the demon lord. She could understand how the children were easy around him and Kagome as well since she was around Rin all the time but for Sango she could not deal with it for a lengthy time without having something to do.

"All right I guess I'll go back wi-" Kagome started to say but was cut off when Rin grabbed her hand and looked at her with innocent eyes.

"Kaa-san stay." Rin asked pleadingly.

"Um..." Kagome hesitated not knowing what to do.

"Go ahead and stay Kagome, I'll tell the others. If you decide to go back to the village to sleep Miroku will probably be conning the biggest and richest person in the village." Sango said to Kagome.

After a moment of thought Kagome nodded as Sango headed back towards the village. She turned to Shippo wants more the almost completely skinned the bear. She winced a bit at all the blood and the look of the dead bear without its fur on. She had gotten use to rabbits but giant bears were another story.

"Kaa-san sit with us!" Rin called out from beside Sesshoumaru as she too watched Shippo skin the bear. Her eyes showed that she was impressed with it but held no look showing was uncomfortable with the dead corpse in front of her with bones and skin sticking out.

‘I suppose its something that can be gotten use to' Kagome thought as she sat down to the left of Sesshoumaru. Rin was on his right.

"Finished!" Shippo exclaimed happily lifting the fur up and dancing about making Kagome and Rin laugh.

Sesshoumaru motioned with his hand for Shippo to bring the fur to him. When he had a hold of it he began to pour out his poison unto the bear carefully controlling the strength and amount so that it would not completely disintegrate the fur. Shippo looked on curious.

"What are you doing Sensei?" Shippo asked.

"It is easier and more effective to clean it this way." Sesshoumaru answered.

"Oh" Shippo replied, "I wish I could do that."

Sesshoumaru looked up and let the look of surprise show on his face for a moment. "You can"

"I can?" Shippo asked his eyes lit up with excitement. "Can you show me how?"

"One lesson at a time. Perfect hunting and skinning first." Sesshoumaru said after he finished cleansing the bear.

Shippo nodded but Sesshoumaru could see that the kit was still excited and eager to learn.

"I'll go get some rabbits and practice more!" Shippo declared before running off. Kagome was about to call after him worried about him going off on his own when Sesshoumaru stopped her.

"He will be fine. There are no youkai nearby"

"But-"

"The kit needs to learn how to take care of himself"

Kagome nodded at this her eyes still worried as she stared off to where he had left. She settled back down when Rin tugged her hand.

"Don't worry Otou-san knows what he's doing" Rin chirped.

Kagome nodded again and relaxed slightly. She looked back at the fur from the bear and wondered what they'd do with it. She reached over and touched it, surprised at how soft it was.

‘Sesshoumaru's poison probably made it softer' Kagome thought as she trailed her fingers over it reveling at its softness.

She saw movement at the corner of her eye and turned around to see Sesshoumaru gutting the bear and cutting and taking sections of meat from it. He put the chunks down on a large leaf so that it would not get dirt on it from the ground. She winced once again not used to watching people do such a thing. Normally by the time it was her turn to cook the food the meat would all ready be chopped up, resembling neither an animal or a gross piece of meat covered in blood. There was also the fact that she brought instant food from home.

"Rin." Sesshoumaru said not looking up from his work.

"Hai?" Rin asked She looked up from her curious stare at her "mother" who had been making strange faces.

"Go take these and wash it by the river" Sesshoumaru said indicating two piles of bear meat on top of two giant leafs.

"Hai!" Rin said before running up and dragging the leaf towards the nearby river. She could've just lifted it up but she wasn't sure if she would be able to balance it without anything falling over.

Kagome, without being asked to, took a pile of wood near by and started a medium sized fire that should be good enough to cook the meat. Kagome then turned back to where the pile of wood was sitting and looked at it curiously. Next to it was a pile of small stones...

She looked over at Sesshoumaru who had just finished cutting down the rest of the meat that they would eat tonight. The rest would probably be eaten in the morning or left for some scavenger.

"Sesshoumaru?" Kagome asked.

He looked up at her to show he was paying attention. She hesitated a bit not wanting to appear like an idiot for asking but she couldn't help but be curious.

"Why is there...a pile of stones?"

"It is easier to cook that way" was his simple reply.

She must've looked confused because he took some of them and starting to put them on top of the fire careful not to put it out. Kagome noted that the stones were either very rounded or had some sort of flatness to it at the top.

"To put the meat on it and cook it?" Kagome said.

Sesshoumaru nodded. When Rin dragged back the meat that had been cleared away from majority of its blood Sesshoumaru put them on top of the stones to cook. Rin then proceeded to take the other pile of bear meat away.

"Sesshoumaru don't you eat meat raw?" Kagome asked curious. Usually when they ate Sesshoumaru would leave to get his own food. He once or twice tried the food that she brought, and while he may find it "acceptable" he preferred to eat his own food.

"It does not bother me to eat it cooked" Sesshoumaru replied.

"You mean you're just too lazy to cook it and you don't have to worry about it because you can easily digest it" Kagome stated.

"I prefer the taste when it is raw" Sesshoumaru corrected.

"Ahh" Kagome said and then they sat in a comfortable silence. She unconsciously leaned towards Sesshoumaru until their shoulders touched but neither seemed to notice. Or at least Sesshoumaru was pretending not to notice and Kagome was too deep in thought to.

"Ne...Sesshoumaru do you think we could stop by Kaede's village for a while?" Kagome asked.

"You wish to go home?" Sesshoumaru asked.

"Hai" came Kagome's reply.

"Very well." He said.

"Arigatou." Kagome said brightly

Again it became silent as they waited for Rin and Shippo to come back. But while it might not have been an uncomfortable silence Kagome still did not like it when it was quiet. She started to get restless a few moments later. She unconsciously fingered the edge of her bag that she had next to her. The bag contained the outfit that Rin had told her to get.

"What's in the bag?" Sesshoumaru asked when he saw her fingering it. He also noticed that she was getting restless from the silence.

"Oh! It's what I got because of Rin's golden prize" Kagome said she had a smile on her face as she thought of the red and white outfit. Then a bit sheepishly "It's similar to your outfit".

Sesshoumaru raised a brow at this and motioned towards the bag. "Wear it"

Kagome felt heat rise to her cheeks as she shook her head vigorously. "It'll get dirty when I go to sleep. I'll wear it tomorrow."

"You can change when you sleep then. Wear it." Sesshoumaru insisted. He was curious as to what the outfit would be since she kept blushing.

‘Why am I blushing?' Kagome thought as she felt more heat rise. ‘I can just refuse him or wear it. It's not big deal...so why am I feeling this way?'

"Um..." Kagome muttered.

"You may change over there," Sesshoumaru said pointing to a group of bushes and trees in front of them.

"Hai..." She said softly and went behind them. Normally she would be defiant at someone telling her what to do but she couldn't help but WANT to show him how she looked in the kimono.

‘What am I doing? I...love...Inuyasha don't I? Why do I want to impress Sesshoumaru?' Kagome wondered. But lately especially during the time that Sesshoumaru was missing she felt that her feelings changed.

After putting on the kimono she attempted to tie the sash and obi but couldn't manage to do it herself. She shyly peeked out to him from behind a tree, which earned her a look with one of his eyebrows raised once more. She blushed and mumbled that she needed help with the sash and obi. She watched as his eyes shone with amusement before getting up. She came out but turned her back towards him so he could help her tie them. When she turned back she blushed even further because his eyes looked warm.

"Sesshoumaru?" Kagome said softly. The demon lord drew closer and closer to her. Her heart started to beat quicker and when he was just an inch away from her they heard a cry.

"I'm DONE! Look at all the rabbit fur I got!" exclaimed Shippo as he bounced into the clearing. Sesshoumaru abruptly pulled away from her and went to Shippo inspecting the furs. He then nodded towards the kitsune in approval who beamed.

"Rin is finished with the rest of the meat!" Rin yelled out dragging the other meat back. Then the smell of cooked meat reached their noses and they all turned towards the fire.

"Is it ready yet?" Rin asked hopefully. Shippo had an equally hopeful look as well. The two adults nodded and gave them both equal portions of the first batch of meat. They ate it happily on their leaf plates.

Sesshoumaru put the next batch of meat on the cooking fire while Kagome made sure that the two children didn't eat too fast and started choking. At the rate they were going it looked like they hadn't eaten in days. Both she and Sesshoumaru avoided looking at each other for the rest of the night until the two kids settled down and slept. Kagome found out that the bear fur was a makeshift bed and blanket since she had left the backpack with the others. Shippo didn't carry one with him so he must've had to get something to sleep on when he was with Sesshoumaru. Speaking of the group and the others.

"It's really late" Kagome said "I guess I'll be staying here since the villagers are probably asleep by now."

Sesshoumaru nodded not saying anything. Kagome silently wondered where she would sleep or if she should change and try and sleep on the ground. The bear fur was not enough to sleep in for both her and the children. She was sitting next to Sesshoumaru once again thinking of what she could do.

‘I wonder how Sesshoumaru can sleep sitting up like that" Kagome thought wondering if she would be able to pull the same thing off. It was colder during the night so she wasn't sure if she would be able to do it.

The decision seemed to be made for her though when she suddenly found herself being picked up and cuddled into a warm embrace. She made a small "eep" sound before she realized it was Sesshoumaru.

"Sesshou-" Kagome started to say when he growled.

"Sleep".

"But-" Kagome was about to protest when she was once more interrupted.

"I will not ask again," He stated.

She quieted and relaxed. He was really warm. She cuddled into his warm tail. It wasn't too long after when she fell asleep in his arms.

Kagome woke up to something warm surrounding her. She snuggled into the warmth more breathing into her soft pillow. It really was fluffy. The smell of winter and freshly fallen snow reached her nose. She sighed contently when she was suddenly poked by something sharp. She winced and let out a small whimper and shifted her position but the thing still poked her. She opened her eyes to see white fluffiness in her vision. She moved her head to the side to first see a smooth pale neck and as her vision went up she saw Sesshoumaru's red eyes staring at her. Kagome eyes widened and let out an "eek" before jumping up but Sesshoumaru held her down firmly against him so that she wouldn't fall off of him and tumble onto the ground.

"Gomen-nasai Sesshoumaru" Kagome said fearing that he was angry. It was the only explanation she could come up with because of his red eyes showing her that his beast probably either took over or was on the verge to. Sesshoumaru let out a low grow in response. It wasn't unpleasant in fact it was just the opposite. She felt herself relax back into his embrace. She started to remember why she was in his arms when Sesshoumaru suddenly bent down and nuzzled her neck causing her heart to quicken.

"Sessho-"Kagome started to say when Sesshoumaru looked up at her again but this time it was more intense. Her own eyes widened as he delved down and kissed her. It was gentle at first but then became slightly more demanding as he slowly sucked at her bottom lip. She gasped and Sesshoumaru took full advantage of her open mouth and began exploring it with his tongue. Kagome felt herself shyly respond after she got over her shock. She felt his claw hand trail down her legs and gasped again when it went under her kimono and up towards her underwear. At this she gently pushed him away, which caused him to growl warningly this time.

"Sesshoumaru stop I-" Kagome let out a moan as he pressed against her sensitive area. Her face was flushed as his hands gently moved in circular patterns against the small fabric that was becoming wet under his ministrations. She moaned louder when he pushed harder. Kagome unconsciously spread her legs out farther for him to have better access. He growled again this time in contentment as he lowered his head and nuzzled her once more trailing kisses from her jaw to her neck and shoulders and then back up again.

Then a small yawn was heard and the slow awakening of the children snapped Kagome out of her hazed state. Sesshoumaru still had his hands up her Kimono and was continuing his trail of kisses on her. Her blush intensified but so did her struggles.

"Rin and Shippo" She breathed out trying to get his attention away from her. It seemed to work for a bit because he pulled his hand away from her sensitive area much to her relief. Her heart was still beating wildly and she couldn't help but feel warmth at being near Sesshoumaru despite what he had just done. She could see that he was trying to return back to normal his eyes were flickering from red to golden-amber. Kagome herself was trying to fight down her arousal. She couldn't believe herself...to do such a thing with Sesshoumaru. To let him touch her in such a way...

Finally Sesshoumaru seemed to have won his silent battle with his inner beast because his eyes reverted back to their custom color. He looked down at her and his arms around her tightened as if she would quickly spring away if he didn't. His eyes were guarded as well as his face. But Kagome could still tell he was torn and didn't know what to do.

"Sesshou its o-" Kagome started to say but was once again cut off by Sesshoumaru's emotionless voice.

"You're in heat" He stated his voice blunt but turned slightly husky causing the wetness between her legs to deepen. She was sure that wasn't from the blood though. Her face flushed at his stare even if it was guarded.

"Um..." was her only intelligent answer. She didn't know what to say to that. What could she do? It wasn't as if she could stop it from happening.

Sesshoumaru suddenly tilted her head up to him and kissed her again this time it was a soft chaste kiss before pulling back up. He was panting and his arms around her were tense. She felt more than saw his body shake as his eyes flickered again.

"Don't move" Sesshoumaru ordered before she could ask if he was all right. Kagome remained frozen in place.

Shippo and Rin took this time to stretch and become fully awake, not noticing the situation that the two adults were in. They both mumbled a good morning not really paying attention to their surroundings and yawned. Sesshoumaru took the time to concentrate fully on them and not the delicious tasting female on his lap. It seemed to work because he gained enough control to push her off of his lap no matter how much his beast protested to it.

"Go back to the village" he growled out before disappearing into the forest. He left a flustered and aroused Kagome against the tree.

"Kaa-san?" Rin asked still rubbing the sleep from her eyes.

"Kagome...you smell funny" Shippo mumbled a bit starting to wake up a bit faster because of the unknown smell.

"It's nothing. Let's go back to the village okay?" Kagome said. The children nodded their heads and folded the bear fur up. Kagome quickly changed back to her normal attire, consisting of jeans and a shirt. She knew that Inuyasha would be furious and insufferable throughout the day if she arrived while wearing clothes that looked similar to Sesshoumaru's. Kagome then proceeded to put out the fire after cooking and eating the leftovers from last night. Only when they were about to return to the village did they notice that Sesshoumaru had yet to return.

"Where's Otou-san?" Rin asked worriedly. She didn't like waking up and not having him there. And if he wasn't there he would usually return before it was time to go.

Shippo looked at Kagome as well wondering what had happened. Kagome thought of several things that she could say to them not sure which one would be better to tell them. Finally she settled for telling them that he had to check something that he sensed. The children nodded at that, but Shippo still sniffed at her confused.

"Shippo is the scent still there?" Kagome asked nervously.

"One of them isn't but I can smell your blood..." Shippo said frowning.

"Kaa-san are you hurt?" Rin asked as they arrived at the village.

"No I'm not its just you know that time of the month". Kagome said. Dawning realization hit the children. She had told them months ago about the things little boys and girls went through when they reached maturity; She had felt that Shippo needed to know so that he wouldn't panic if he smelled blood.

They headed towards the biggest house in the village knowing all ready that it was where everyone else would most likely be. When they got there the servant allowed them in. They had been expecting them since Sango had told them that the three (or four if Sesshoumaru had come) would come either last night or in the morning.

As they stepped into the doorway a loud smack could be heard, followed by a thump. The three of them winced as Sango shouted "Hentai!" at the top of her lungs and from the sounds of things she was attempting to kill Miroku again. Kagome sighed as she told Shippo and Rin to go off and play for now. They agreed quickly and left leaving Kagome to try and calm the angry taijiya.

"Ano..Sango...at this rate you'll really kill him!" Kagome said uneasily as she kicked him.

"He deserves it! He snuck into my room this time!" Sango yelled angrily

"I swear it was an accident" Miroku said but the perverted grin on his face proved otherwise. "Well...Okay maybe it was slightly on purpose..."

Kagome sighed as more yelling and Miroku abuse ensued. She was about to leave and join the children when Inuyasha appeared.

"Inuyasha! How was your-" Kagome was interrupted as Inuyasha sudden grabbed her and forcibly pulled her away from their friends.

"Hey! What are you doing!" Kagome shouted as he dragged her through the village towards the woods.

"I have to talk to you about something" Inuyasha muttered. His eyes flashed red for a second.

Confusion washed over her as he continued dragging her deeper and deeper into the woods. Inuyasha's behavior was strange and she started to become uneasy as he started growling lowly. His eyes continued to flicker from gold to red. At first she thought he was simply angry because she stayed the night in the forest but if that were the case he would be yelling and screaming at her. An ominous feeling crept over her as she watched his eyes stay red longer and longer with every flicker.

"Inuyasha your eyes their -"

"I know, you're in heat"

Kagome's eyes widened as Inuyasha suddenly slammed her into a tree and started kissing her.

Her first reaction was shock before she began struggling from his actions. Inuyasha's hand trailed down to every part of her body and then back up to her breasts. He then proceeded in ripping away at her clothes as she squirmed and attempted to push away from him,

"Inuyasha stop it! You don't know what you're doing!" Kagome cried out desperately.

Inuyasha only growled and threw her to the ground. Kagome sobbed as he savagely kissed and nipped on her neck and then nipples his teeth biting into her leaving marks and bruises.

"Stop it! Please!" Kagome shouted attempting to kick and worm her way out but he had a hold of her arms and he had pinned her body down with his legs.

"Bitch! You're in heat it is only right that I mark you now!" Inuyasha snapped as he removed his clothes while keeping her subdued, His claws raked at her body leaving deep slashes. He licked at her wounds and then traveled down to her womanhood.

"NO!" Kagome shouted again, renewing her struggles with even more vigor than before. Inuyasha looked up angrily and then slapped.her. Kagome froze stunned.

"The more you resist the more painful will be you" Inuyasha growled as he forced her legs to spread out in front of him.

Kagome cried out once again and tears flowed down her eyes. Her whole body trembled with fear. She couldn't fight Inuyasha he was too strong and she couldn't purify him because she knew that he had no control over what he was doing. Her sobs increased as Inuyasha delved down to her exposed clit and began to lick it, his claws dug deep into her sides as he ravaged her hungrily. She screamed as he forced her to cum and her whole body shook with shame. She didn't want this, every part of her was screaming with rejection, but she couldn't control her body even if it felt wrong and horrible. The physical arousal she felt stabbed at her even though she didn't want this. Even though it wasn't right and he was raping her how could her body react!? Fear overcame her, she didn't want this! Kagome felt her heart and soul starting to fall to pieces. A brief flash image flashed before her mind...Sesshoumaru...but he was too far away.

"Very good bitch. If you keep this up I just might be gentle" Inuyasha chuckled cruelly. Kagome panicked as she felt Inuyasha's pulsating member starting to enter her. She cried out "Sesshoumaru!" and instinctively tried to push and shove away from him. Inuyasha snarled, he was about to thrust into her roughly when a powerful force suddenly knocked him aside.

Kagome felt Inuyasha topple away from her and she quickly crawled backwards and away from him. Her blood flowed down her wounds making her wince as she backed into a tree. She was still shaking from terror and shock. So astonished was she that she didn't even notice the two figures in front of her fighting and slashing at each other until one let out a loud howl. The sound temporarily snapped her out of her frightened state in time to see Sesshoumaru fling Inuyasha against several...several...SEVERAL trees... (think of bowling, Inuyasha being the ball and the trees as the pins)

But Kagome froze once again when Sesshoumaru turned towards her. His eyes were red as well. She began to shake with uncertainty and fear when he drew closer.

"Sesshou..." Kagome started to say but was cut off when he lifted her up and kissed her gently. When he pulled away she was still stunned.

"Do you think me so weak as to have absolutely no control over myself?" Sesshoumaru inquired.

Kagome shook her head as he carried her over to the nearest river. Kagome looked back uneasily at where Inuyasha had been and gave a small shudder.

"The hanyou will not awaken until late in the evening" Sesshoumaru replied when he noticed. Kagome relaxed at this.

As they got nearer to the river and the adrenaline from before was calmed Sesshoumaru took note of Kagome's wounds and was shocked to see how deep they were. He had thought Inuyasha would have at least been more gentle with the miko. Despite the hanyou's lack of control his beast should not have hurt her. Even with his beast fighting for control he knew that while it would wish to mate the vixen in his arms it would never cause such damage to her body.

"Kagome..." Sesshoumaru said gently at her curled up form. She peeked up from this boa.

"Your wounds are deeper than I thought they would be" Sesshoumaru said cautiously and watched as she frowned "My saliva contains healing properties" Kagome eyes widened at this and he looked at her to determine what would happen next. At first she appeared to be thinking of what to do before nodding at him.

"I trust you Sesshoumaru" Kagome said softly

Sesshoumaru nodded at her and gently settled her down near the edge of the river. He made the decision to start with the gashes on her arms and proceeded to lightly lick her wounds. He continued on to her side and stomach and felt her body react to his touch. He hesitated to go on towards the gashes on her thighs but the smell of her blood prompted him to move forward. His head began to spin at being in such a close proximity to her heat and core. His hands absently stroke the side of her thighs as he licked her gashes. He felt her shudder at his touch, but before he could pull away the scent of arousal reached his nose. Any thoughts of moving away from the priestess ceased.

"Sessh..." Kagome said softly. Sesshoumaru could hear the shame in her voice.

Sesshoumaru immediately looked up and could smell the scent of her tears which stained the tantalizing scent that had teased his nose only seconds before. Realization dawned on him and he gently shifted their position so that she was on his lap and began nuzzling her. His instincts demanded him to sooth the female and he had no wish to oppose it.

"What you feel is your body's natural reaction towards my touch. It does not mean that you are impure." Sesshoumaru whispered quietly.

"But before...my body...before...with...Inuyasha..." Kagome started to sob, burying her face in his chest.

"As I said before it is your body's natural reaction. It does not mean that you wanted him to touch you nor does it mean that you lust for such activities. Your mind is separate from your body. You cannot control such primal reactions." Sesshoumaru softly explained. Kagome nodded but continued to cry softly. The feelings of fear, horror, and remorse finally started to settle in. Sesshoumaru simply held her and comforted her with soft growls that instinctively came out and vibrated from his chest.

The soft vibrations soothed her and she began to nod off. But before she did she tightened her hold on him.

"Don't leave" She mumbled.

"I will be here when you awaken" Sesshoumaru replied as the miko fell asleep.

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I hope all of you like this! I've done some editing and stuff to it before reposting it. Many of you may remember this story from a-single-spark. Hope you enjoy it! I've only done a brief edit so if anyone would like to give me any constructive criticisms it would be great! Please tell me you honest opinion of my story it would help me a lot!