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Because even Sesshomaru’s primal thoughts are ludicrously eloquent  . . . .

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Chapter Five

Like Water through Stone

The miko stirred restlessly, turning onto her side and the movement- for which Sesshomaru had thought he would be grateful- made him curse the very earth itself.  Her back was to him now, but with her body curled as it was her short garment fell away from her skin, giving him view of her finely rounded flesh, just barely shielded from sight by those thin white ‘panties’.  Frowning at the way his gaze had been unerringly drawn to this tempting bit of her, he tore his eyes away, staring unblinking into the fire.

Night had fallen and, after the indignity of having to carry the sopping wet girl from the shore, he’d found himself shouldered with the inane and bothersome task of building a fire.  He’d not needed it himself-he could not remember the last time he was forced to do such a thing, Jaken was burdened with this chore, though even that was only for Rin’s benefit- but their garments were still soaked through and he could think of no faster way to dry them.  The miko, clearly exhausted from her myriad accidents and having her rest of the previous night cut short, had fallen from her fainting spell into a light slumber from which he was reluctant to rouse her.

As the sky had begun to darken he’d found himself watching the girl seemingly against his will.  Most of the fabric gracing her form had dried, but her . . . ‘blouse?’ had still been damp and the soft white material clung to her- her ‘bra’ doing little to hide the points of her breasts; hard little peaks tightened from the cold.  The sight had caused that primal voice to nudge at him again, whispering to him to lift her to him, to graze his fangs over her covered flesh.  That was the first moment she’d stirred, turning from her back onto her side toward him, her arms folding rather coincidentally and shielding the bothersome yet enticing image from his treacherous gaze.

There had seemed no point in waking her; they were approximately eight days distance from Edo and she would be in need of the rest if they were to start travel at first light.  Now he was urged to wake her simply to stop the restless turning that kept offering him such . . . deplorable views of her feminine attributes.  She made a soft, rumbling sound of comfort in the back of her throat and he pushed away another nudging from that primal voice at the sound.

Kagome blinked her sleepy eyes open, taking in the now familiar sight of Sesshomaru- though entirely unfamiliar in the fact that he was not wearing his armor, pelt or swords- not far from her in the flickering firelight.  Momentarily forgetting what had happened, her eyes quickly scanned for the rest of their group, but when she found noone the events of the previous day came crashing down on her.

Gasping, she sat up quickly, drawing Sesshomaru’s customarily bored gaze to hers, her own wide with shock.  “What happened?”

Frowning, he muttered darkly, “You happened, miko.”

“Oh, gods, Sesshomaru, I’m so sorry.  It was an accident, my foot slipped and-”

He held up one graceful, clawed hand and the words died on her lips.  “You will cease apologizing for past transgressions.”

Her brow furrowed at his statement.  “But . . . why?  I should be apologizing to you.”

“Because it serves no purpose; what is done is done.”

Biting her lip, she turned, noting that they were not far from the shore.  She almost felt an overwhelmingly stupid urge to ask him if he’d made the fire, but then it couldn’t have been anyone else and it occurred to her that she’d only thought to ask to fill the void of silence she knew he would allow to swallow them whole.  Being alone with Sesshomaru in the darkened night of the forest with nothing but firelight was bad enough, but being alone with him in such a setting with an awkward silence between them seemed worse.  He was very pretty by the flickering light of the fire and she was suddenly glad that during their travel together thus far he’d stayed far from it and her.

Clearing her throat, she pushed thoughts about how very appealing he suddenly was aside and grasped for the only conversation topic that made sense- and wouldn’t be likely to end up with him slicing her head from her body.  “So, what happened when you got back to the battle?  Where is everyone?”

“It was done and the rest of our traveling party has moved on.”

“WHAT?” She sat bolt upright, her eyes wide again in a mix of anger and disbelief . . . she remembered Sesshomaru telling Rin that the party was continuing on, but she’d thought Inuyasha would have thrown a conniption at the idea of her traveling alone with Sesshomaru and come to find her no matter what; how could he just leave her behind like that?

“They could not track us, nor could I them.  They had collected your things and it is likely they are headed to Edo in hopes that we will meet them along the way.”

Kagome groaned, burying her face in her hands.  “My things . . . I don’t even have my sleeping bag anymore.  I’m gonna freeze at night.”

Sesshomaru blinked slowly, taking in the casual movements of her arms- why had he not noticed sooner that one of her bandages was missing and that appendage no longer bruised- perhaps because he had been far too preoccupied with observing other parts of her?  “Miko, how did you heal?”

The abrupt change of subject brought her gaze immediately to his, her hands falling into her lap, “hmm?  Yeah, I don’t know how it happened.  They were still injured yesterday, but today, in the cave I found out they just . . . weren’t anymore.  I still want to go to Edo, though, because Kaede might be able to explain what’s going on.”

His brow furrowed lightly at her words.  It occurred to him that this might not be entirely dissimilar to the moment he had felt her wounds a short time after she’d received them- though it troubled him that something might enable her to have mirrored his own rapid healing in even the smallest measure- but he thought better on the idea of explaining such a thing to her.  Were he to mention this, it would inevitably lead to the further explanation of sharing other sensations that rippled through her body, and such a topic of discussion between them simply would not do.

The miko frowned, hunching over slightly as she unwound the other bandage, a sudden hunger pang from her lacing through him.  Standing, he simply bolted off, disappearing from sight for a few moments.

Kagome looked around, startled.  “Um . . . Sessh- Sesshomaru?”

Instantly she felt his presence behind her, a little, surprised shriek escaping her as a dead rabbit was dropped unceremoniously into her lap.  Gaping awkwardly at the poor creature, she forced a gulp down her throat . . . it looked like it was glaring accusingly at her from its little shiny dead eyes.

“Sesshomaru, what . . . ?”

“Are you not in need of food?”

She bit her lip again, feeling tears welling up in her eyes as she turned her face away from the pitiful little thing, reminding herself that no matter how graceful or pretty he might be that he was still youkai- his thinking still more animal that human in some aspects.  “I can’t eat this!”

“Do you not eat meat?”  His tone was vaguely incredulous at the idea that he had miscalculated something as he stood unmoving behind her.

“No, it’s not that . . . it’s just . . . .”  She fidgeted restlessly, uncomfortable with the weight of the deceased animal in her lap.  “It’s looking at me!”

Sesshomaru made a short, disgusted sound that was barely audible to her despite his closeness.  “Why are you so very strange, miko?”

Flustered, Kagome turned her head slightly in his direction, but didn’t dare look at him- she didn’t feel her temper would hold if she looked into those glittering gold eyes right now.  “I’m strange?  What about you?  You drop a rabbit you clearly just killed by snapping its neck into my lap and I’m supposed to find that appetizing?  It’s still warm; even if I tried I would get sick from eating raw meat- not to mention it could have diseased blood.  I’m not youkai!  I just can’t tear into an animal uncooked with its fur still on and staring at me!  Haven’t you learned anything from traveling with a human child?”

“Rin only eats fish which she prepares herself,” he replied simply, his bored tone thick with the suggestion that she should have already known this; maybe he was galled at the idea that she had less survival skills than an eight year old orphan.

Making a small, almost growling sound of agitation in the back of her throat, Kagome looked down at the pathetic little beast once more- no matter how awful she found the task, she didn’t see much choice; she was well aware her accident had probably thrown them a few days off course and she would need to eat.  “Fine, but . . . I don’t know how to skin an animal and even if I wanted to try, I have nothing to do it with.”

Sesshomaru repressed the urge to growl, but became aware that the miko felt the vague passing of anger through him; her shoulders tensing visibly and her head turning ever so slightly toward him again, blue eyes large with barely veiled fear.  He should just let her starve, but that would not do.  He had given Rin his unspoken word that he would deliver the miko to Edo unharmed and, to Sesshomaru, such a thing carried the same binding weight as any verbal agreement.

Kagome nearly jumped as one long arm reached down across her and into her lap.  She stared at the graceful clawed hand helplessly as it latched around the rabbit’s ears only to disappear from sight once more.  She forced a small gulp down her throat, the bizarre and stomach-turning sound of the skin being sliced from the meat aiding her in pushing away any torrid thoughts that might just have skittered across her mind.  After all, what did she think was going to happen- that he would drop to his knees behind her?  Slip that hand beneath her blouse and run those pretty claws delicately over her- ‘Gods, Kagome, not now!’ she reprimanded herself, squeezing her eyes tightly shut.

Sesshomaru’s gaze lifted momentarily from his task to settle on the back of the miko’s head.  He felt the vaguest hint of arousal rippling of off her for a moment- so quick that it had not affected her scent, but present all the same.  What about this moment could possibly make her think about any such thing?  Briefly he remembered his closeness to her only moments ago, his arm draping across her as his hand grasped blindly in her lap.  ‘Perhaps,’ his primal voice whispered, teasing him, ‘you should have tossed the animal away and reached beneath that little garment of hers, how warm and wet and perfectly ripe she would be from the simplest touch your hand, or- better still- pushed her unto her hands and knees before you; those bothersome ‘panties’ . . . just one flick of your claws away from a most delectable goal, indeed.’  He shut out the voice, slicing the little beast’s head from its body and allowing the sensation of his claws tearing through flesh and bone to blot out the image of turning the miko around and pushing her down as he tore her clothes away to bury his face between her-

With an abrupt growl at himself, he snatched up a stick, thrust it through the creature’s body and tossed the decidedly more presentable offering down before her.  “Um . . .” the miko cleared her throat with noticeable discomfort, “thank you, Sesshomaru.”

“Hmph,” with that he turned, striding toward the shore to wash the creature’s still cooling blood from his hands.

Kagome turned her head fully at last to watch him and immediately turned back, wishing she hadn’t.  The image of Sesshomaru-by-firelight didn’t seem so jarring anymore, not when compared to Sesshomaru-under-moonlight.  Chewing her lip, she picked up the stick and jammed it into the ground before the fire, angled so that the flames licked the meat.  Turning her head again, she glanced at the forest floor, her eyes landing on the discarded parts of the rabbit.

Sesshomaru returned to find the miko digging a small hole in the tightly packed earth with the aid of a stone.  Sitting himself neatly not far from her, he watched in puzzlement as she then reached around, gingerly taking the rabbit’s head and skin and dropping them into the hole before filling the dirt back in and smoothing it over with her little hands.

“What is the necessity of such a task?”

She blinked up at him, dusting off her hands on her skirt.  “Hmm?  No necessity, just . . . it died to feed me, I should at least give its remains a burial.  Aiding the cycle of life, I guess.”

He quirked one perfect silver eyebrow at her.  “The cycle of life . . . you will explain this to me.”

Kagome gave a small, but genuine giggle at this- it was odd to think she knew something that Sesshomaru- a few centuries older than she- would not.  “Well, um, plants feed animals, animals feed us and when animals and people die, we go back into the earth.  Our bodies decompose,” she noted him quirking an eyebrow at her again and quickly rethought her modern terminology, “our flesh and blood dry and break down into their most basic elements, nourishing the earth so that plants can grow and begin everything again.”

“Mm,” was his reply- what were this miko’s true people like that they had come so far in their understanding of things?

Kagome’s eyebrows lifted a fraction.  “Mm, not hmph?”

“Perhaps I expected an unintelligible response.”

“Oh,” of course he did, she was stupid enough to follow his ‘foolish hanyou brother’ around- often times at her own peril- how could he expect her to have even a marginal hint of intelligence?

Folding her hands in her lap she looked into the fire again, tempted though she was to simply stare at him.  She could feel that looming silence beginning to fall over them, but couldn’t think of anything else to discuss that wouldn’t aggravate the short-tempered daiyoukai.  Certainly around her friends she could voice anything that came to mind, discuss any of a million topics from her modern life that Sango, Shippo and Miroku didn’t understand, but listened to regardless; even Rin tended to pepper her with questions when she said something off-color or out of place for the time period.  She didn’t imagine that Sesshomaru would suffer her babbling very long before using some quick, but horrifically violent way to silence her.

The flames leaping up to lap at the rabbit’s flesh and quiet sounds of the forest at night were almost hypnotic and she found that picturing the many horrifically violent methods he might employ to kill her was a wonderful way to keep her mind off of illicit thoughts of him.  Why couldn’t she have woken up sooner?  Why did she have to faint in the first place?  When he’d removed his armor, surely his damp white haori would have been clinging to him, just a bit translucent, offering her an idea of what lay beneath- she wouldn’t have minded knowing if the real thing was at all like in her dreams.  Eyes going wide suddenly, Kagome caught her train of thought a little too late.  ‘Dammit!  Why can’t I stop thinking about him like this?  This is Sesshomaru, for crying out loud!’

Golden eyes flickered in her direction for the briefest moment.  It had happened again- he could feel that hint of arousal course through her, but only for a moment, not long enough to affect her scent.  With noone else around, what could she possibly be thinking about that would bring her close to giving off that inviting scent?  Of course he had already come to the terrible realization that she only smelled that way around him, but it still seemed an odd and difficult concept to grasp.  This was his detestable half-brother’s wench, after all.  ‘But then,’ that damnable voice began quietly, ‘is she truly his?  Did he not claim that vile undead miko as his?  Would that not make this miko yours for the taking?’  He pushed this thinking aside.  Even if he did want her, which told himself emphatically he did not- his internal argument was cut short as a chill laced through him.  Sesshomaru was not bothered by temperature changes, so the only plausible explanation was that miko was feeling the cold of the night air.

Kagome had managed to distract herself from the ever looming naughty thoughts of a dripping wet Sesshomaru, her gaze fixed pointedly on her hands in her lap when a gentle weight fell upon her shoulders; soft white folds came into her vision, falling over her arms.  Blinking herself back into the moment, she realized Sesshomaru- Sesshomaru!- had placed his haori over her.

Looking over at him as he seated himself neatly once more, she saw the horridly pretty daiyoukai was indeed bare from the waist up.  Forcing a gulp down her throat, she tore her eyes away before they had the opportunity to wander over any previously unseen parts of him in the flickering orange light.  Suddenly not thinking about him in a naughty way seemed an uphill battle- an uphill battle that had her standing alone against an army of half-naked Sesshomarus.  Biting deep into her bottom lip, she squeezed her eyes tightly shut.

She grated the words out through lightly clenched teeth, “Why’d you do that?”

“You are in need of cover from the cold, I am not.”

Come to think of it, why was he doing any of these things for her?  “But . . . already . . . you saved me when I fell into the water, you made a fire- since you’re not bothered by the cold that had to be for my benefit- you brought me food and now . . . .  You don’t have to do all this, you know.”

“And what would your death by drowning, starvation or the ravages of cold gain me?”

Shaking her head, she plotted around in her mind for a response before speaking.  “No, I mean . . . I only asked for your help because I was injured.  I’m not anymore; why didn’t you just leave me after you found that out?  You’ve got better things to do than play babysitter to an accident-prone miko.”

“I wonder,” he began in that oh, so familiar bored tone, “what would become of you if I were to do such a thing?  You are unarmed, unskilled in defending yourself in anyway, lack even the most basic skills necessary to survive an environment such as this and more than likely have not the faintest idea which direction to take to reach Edo.”

“What’s it to you?” Although he was right- in every respect- she couldn’t help being angered by the insulting reminders of her inadequacies that rolled so easily off of his tongue.

Of course his primal thinking had a response for this, but he brushed it aside before the words could be voiced.  “It is nothing to me; I did not give my word to accompany you while you were injured.”  His following statement shocked the miko, clearly she knew that he’d not ‘given his word’ about anything.  “I undertook the task of bringing you to Edo.  As such I intend to deliver you to that destination in one, fully functioning piece.”

Kagome couldn’t help that his casually stated declaration brought her gaze instantly up to meet his.  It was a move for which she really wished she could kick herself; sure, she was looking at his eyes, but that didn’t stop her peripheral vision from taking in the rest of him.  After a moment- an awfully long moment, that had her holding her breath, though she wasn’t entirely certain why- he turned away, peering into the fire.  Feeling as though she’d been quietly dismissed, she tried to turn her head away as well . . . but her body had other notions.  Blues eyes wandered down along his throat, over his shoulders –they certainly were broad- his pale, faintly sculpted chest.  It felt like a sin in and of itself to be gazing upon his long, lean, tightly muscled torso as the light and shadows caused by the flickering of flames danced so artfully across them, but then, wasn’t it better to sin in her head than in reality?  Maybe imagining wasn’t so bad, since dreams like the ones she’d had of him would never- ever- happen there really couldn’t be any harm in it.

“Miko,” he said quietly, his voice utterly toneless.

“Yes,” Kagome squeaked, her eyes leaping immediately to his face as her own flooded with a blush only to find his attention still fixed on the fire.

“You will remove your gaze from my person.”

Blushing harder- though she wasn’t sure it was possible- she wrenched her eyes from him completely, focusing on the slowly roasting rabbit and cleared her throat uncomfortably.  “I’m sorry. I . . . I guess I’m just, uh, just not used to seeing so much of you.”

“Hmph.”

He smelled it this time . . . that faint coiling through of her scent with that hint he wished she would stop giving off.  Sesshomaru had to stop the miko from looking at him in such a manner.  She did not realize she was unwittingly inviting male attention with her actions and the more these things occurred, the more difficult it became to quiet that loathsome, nudging voice in the back of his mind.  How could he continue to tell himself that such things were out of the question when the miko was the one putting such notions in his head, no matter how unintentionally?

Repressing the urge to yawn, Kagome shifted, pulling her legs out from under her to sit cross-legged beneath the voluminous white garment.  Her heel stuck against the hem and she tugged it free, the overly rough gesture- making her aware of how very frustrated she actually was by her predicament- knocked the spit loose, the roasting meat falling into the fire.

“Dammit,” she whined softly, reaching for the stick before pulling her hand away in shock.

Sesshomaru, seemingly without any thought at all, placed his hand into the flames, grasping the burning meat and setting it right again.  She let out a tiny wordless shriek, instantly shuffling over to him on her knees.

“Don’t do things like that!” she shouted, taking his hand in both of hers.

Settling quickly beside him, she bent her head over his hand, examining it.  There was nothing, not the faintest hint of redness or lingering heat.  His skin showed no sign at all of having just been in a fire.  Dumbstruck by this, Kagome traced over his palm with the tips of her fingers, looking for some sign of injury she might have missed.

Sesshomaru was bothered by the delicate touch of the miko’s skin trailing across his.  “I am unharmed, miko.  You need not concern yourself.”

Kagome looked up, suddenly surprised that his face was so close to hers, but she was too aggravated at his blatant disregard for her worry to have any sordid thoughts even attempt to cross her mind.  “What are you, nuts?  I’m human, okay?  We tend to get concerned when we see someone we care about doing something we know would harm us!”

His hand was still grasped in both of her little ones and he glanced down at it for a moment before raising his gaze to meet hers once more.  “Someone you care about?” he echoed quietly.

Kagome’s mouth dropped open, her lips working to find words- she’d not even realized what she’d said until Sesshomaru repeated it back to her.  Releasing his hand, she folded her arms beneath the haori.  What the hell ever possessed her to say such a thing to him?  She didn’t care about Sesshomaru . . . not in the way she probably had just made it seem . . . right?

“I didn’t mean it the way it sounded,” she huffed, wondering if she sounded childish- she wished she had further explanation for her slip, but she simply couldn’t think of anything to say that would make the statement sound any better, “never mind.”

“Hmph,” Sesshomaru said, simply for lack of knowing what to say, and looked back into the fire; why did her words unsettle him, why had he noticed that bit of phrasing at all?

They sat in awkward silence for a long while and Kagome found herself oddly grateful that he’d not pressed her about the matter.  What would she have said, ‘I’ve come to think of you as a friend?’ yeah, right, or ‘Well, the feudal era just wouldn’t be the same without you?’  The best one seemed to be, ‘It’s just because you’re Inuyasha’s brother, and I’m Inuyasha’s . . . .’  The half-finished thought sent her teeth nibbling into her bottom lip.  What was she to Inuyasha?  Was she ever going to move out of Kikyou’s shadow and become something more to him?  She never wanted to be anyone’s second choice, but could she help it that Inuyasha’s unwavering devotion to a dead woman made her feel like a consolation prize?

“Miko, if you allow the meat to roast any longer will it not become inedible?”

“Oh, right,” for a moment, she’d completely forgotten about the rabbit- she’d also forgotten that after having scooted over to examine Sesshomaru’s miraculously unburned hand she’d never reclaimed her original seat.

Retreating now would be pointless, so she simply reached over and wrested the stick out of the ground, blowing gently on the steaming meat.  Sesshomaru watched the action, silver eyebrows lifting just a bit.

Kagome turned to him, mirroring his expression.  “I can’t eat it if it’s too hot, I’ll burn my mouth.”

“Humans are bizarre beasts,” he said, sounding almost thoughtful.

She couldn’t help that his assessment made her laugh.  “I guess so- can’t eat meat that’s not cooked, but can’t eat it if it’s too hot.  Yes, we’re a puzzle alright.”

“Hmph,” he muttered the sound, returning his gaze to the flames.

The miko was mocking him- were it anyone else he would be removing her head from her body right now.  This thought bothered him- surely he could not be making an exception for her because it was she.  No, that could not be the reason.  Perhaps because doing such a thing would undermine his task of delivering her unharmed to Edo?  Yes, that was the only plausible explanation.  Rin would never forgive him were he to explain that he had been forced to dispatch her beloved ‘nee-chan’ because she had made fun of him.

Another long moment of quiet passed between them as Kagome attempted to cool the rabbit’s meat.  It was much more comfortable now that she’d managed the lighthearted joke and he’d graciously allowed it to slide.  Lightly touching a fingertip to the meat, she tested its temperature before finally taking a small bite.  It was still just a bit too hot and she opened her mouth, drawing in quick gulps of air as she rolled it around on her tongue.  She was pretty sure that simply spitting it back into her hand wouldn’t do much to improve Sesshomaru’s already poor thinking of humans.  A sudden sound from the forest of a skittering animal startled her, causing her to accidentally swallow the food before it was cool enough.

Instantly he felt a searing in his throat, the unfamiliar sensation forcing Sesshomaru to look at the miko.  Her face contorted into a terrible grimace as she quickly dropped the rabbit, one hand clamping over her mouth as the other gripped lightly around her throat.  He moved in a blur to remedy the situation.  Could the damnable woman not go a few blessed hours without endangering herself?

Kagome could feel tears welling up behind her tightly closed eyes as she attempted to gulp in more air, but it was no use; she’d already burned her esophagus, she needed something to drink.  Suddenly she felt cold liquid touching her lips and sipped quickly, reaching up to grasp the container in both hands as the cooling sensation spread through her.  She was almost surprised at the instant relief it brought- as well as what the container turned out to be.

Opening her eyes, she saw Sesshomaru’s hand cupped in front of her mouth, the palm still glistening from the water.  Clutching his wrist still, she looked up at him to thank him, but the look on his face halted her ability to form words.

He hated that he could not stop his gaze from being drawn to her lips, the beads of moisture there glinting in the firelight were strangely mesmerizing.  Why, why was the miko looking at him like that?  Why was she still touching him?  His thoughts and actions were suddenly separate as he turned his hand, running the tips of his claws delicately over her lips.  The miko let out a short, surprised breath, but did nothing to stop him as his fingers moved across her cheek and over her jaw to trace down the pulse in her throat.

Kagome could only observe his expression in mute fascination- he was watching the movement of his own fingers over her as though he had no control over them.  Not angry, though, just . . . bewildered.  The illicit thoughts she’d been trying so hard to run away from were bombarding her now; filling her head so that she couldn’t escape them.  His claws tickled lightly in the hollow of her throat before dipping beneath her blouse to stroke over her collar bone.

The scent of the miko’s arousal coiled up around him, stronger than he was accustomed to; inviting him to continue, but he knew if he did not end this now he might not be able to at all.

Pulling his hand away, he resumed his seat as he muttered quietly.  “You are in need of rest now.  Finish the meal when you awaken if necessary.”

Forcing a gulp down her throat, Kagome nodded.  “Uh, yeah, okay Sesshomaru.”  ‘What the hell just happened?’

Pillowing her head on her arm, she curled her body into itself beneath the haori as she tried not to think about it.  There was just something about the way he’d looked at her before he had touched her; so faint that she almost thought she’d imagined it but . . . .  As she thought back on it, there seemed to be no mistaking that heat she had seen in the depths of his eyes.  A muted hint, really, but there all the same and so strikingly familiar to what she’d imagined in all those dreams- ‘six,’ she reminded herself, ‘six dreams of a naked, sweaty Sesshomaru’.  Closing her eyes, she felt sleep rolling up to claim her almost instantly and prayed to whatever gods might listen not to let her have another of those dreams tonight.

The miko’s breathing became shallow and even and Sesshomaru turned his head, looking over the slumbering girl as he allowed a small, exasperated breath to escape his lips.  What in the world was wrong with him?  Could he truly not fight whatever was drawing him to her?  It bothered him that he had been affected by her concern when she had thought he was burned.  It bothered him more that he had felt himself vaguely concerned when she had seared her throat.

When the dreams had only been dreams- had only caused thoughts to skitter across his waking mind from time to time- it had been simpler.  This turn of events, however . . . he would have to expedite their journey, for there seemed little doubt that if he were to suffer her solitary company much longer he would give in to the urgings of his primal mind.

An odd sensation whispered over him and he raised an arm to his face for examination.  What were those little bumps rising all over his skin?  Another hint of chill laced through him and he understood; even under his kimono the miko was cold.  His brow furrowed, looking into the flames as he thought over this latest problem.

He could not recall Rin ever taking issue with sleeping in the forest at night and the little girl had never had the aid of a . . . ‘sleeping-bag?’ and it seemed unlikely that the miko had less constitution than a child.  Something he had missed, perhaps?  Rin slept in front of a fire and a fire was before the miko.  Rin wore only her kimono and the miko now had his haori covering her.  Rin slept curled up against Ah-Un and . . . .  He gave a low, rumbling sigh that was very close to a growl as he cursed his calculations.

Rin slept against Ah-Un, the beast’s larger body giving her the added warmth she needed and blocking her from the cold.  His gaze fell on the miko again.  Perhaps this sensation would pass with no aid on his behalf.  Strangely on cue the miko shivered visibly beneath the white fabric.  Perhaps it was not too late to find another two headed dragon somewhere.  She trembled again and he once more found himself cursing the very earth itself, for his consideration upon the matter told him there was only one thing that could be done to prevent him delivering a frozen-solid miko to Edo.

The sky was still dark when Kagome shifted a bit in her sleep, certain that she’d half-awoken from one of those dreams; because there was simply no way the delicious warmth she felt cradling her body was real.  She snuggled back against it instinctively before noticing a weight that seemed draped across her breast . . . not grasping or even moving, simply there. Opening her eyes slowly, she looked down to see twin magenta stripes curving artfully around a pale wrist.  She closed her eyes again- she had to be dreaming.  But . . . Sesshomaru hadn’t growled at her for moving back against him.  After admonishing her just for looking at him earlier, wouldn’t he have done the very same for her pushing herself against him?  Maybe he’d fallen asleep?

It occurred to her that it had felt good to press herself back against him like that . . . maybe . . . if he were sleeping . . . he wouldn’t notice if she did it again.  Biting deeply into her lip- and wondering when the hell she’d become so very brave- Kagome pressed herself against him once more, unable to stop the accompanying whimpered sigh of contentment that escaped her.  Rather suddenly she felt something hard against her bottom through their clothes.  Every dark little thought she’d been plagued by recently flooded her mind and it was all she could do not to turn toward him.

She could just be imagining things . . . experimentally she rolled her hips just a little, pressing herself against it again and heard a soft, rumbling growl behind her ear.  Eyes flashing open, she turned her head to find Sesshomaru watching her face over her shoulder.  She wanted to ask him why he was holding her, but there was that unmistakable heat in his gaze that caused her thought processes to shut down entirely.

Sesshomaru was surrounded by her scent now and his gaze moved from hers to fix on her lips - had it not been only the sleep cycle before last that he had imagined what it would be like to lap his tongue over that tender bit of her- he could not stop the images his dreams had presented him from coming into his mind.  That she smelled of arousal for him only, that she awoke in such a manner and did not attempt to extricate herself from him . . . did these things not mean she was inviting him?

He watched in near-fascination as the miko’s little teeth sunk into her lip, such an oddly enticing gesture.  He no longer wished to argue with himself over this and he became aware that somehow, they had each managed to wear through the innate defenses against one another they once possessed.  At the very least, he thought, his primal mind would cease its ramblings and lowered his mouth slowly, allowing her every opportunity to stop him.  She let out a halting breath and- just before his lips touched her throat- tilted her head, offering more of her skin to his grazing fangs and swirling tongue.  If the miko was inviting him, he would not but oblige her.

Description
Because even Sesshomaru’s primal thoughts are ludicrously eloquent  . . . .

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Chapter Five

Like Water through Stone

The miko stirred restlessly, turning onto her side and the movement- for which Sesshomaru had thought he would be grateful- made him curse the very earth itself.  Her back was to him now, but with her body curled as it was her short garment fell away from her skin, giving him view of her finely rounded flesh, just barely shielded from sight by those thin white ‘panties’.  Frowning at the way his gaze had been unerringly drawn to this tempting bit of her, he tore his eyes away, staring unblinking into the fire.

Night had fallen and, after the indignity of having to carry the sopping wet girl from the shore, he’d found himself shouldered with the inane and bothersome task of building a fire.  He’d not needed it himself-he could not remember the last time he was forced to do such a thing, Jaken was burdened with this chore, though even that was only for Rin’s benefit- but their garments were still soaked through and he could think of no faster way to dry them.  The miko, clearly exhausted from her myriad accidents and having her rest of the previous night cut short, had fallen from her fainting spell into a light slumber from which he was reluctant to rouse her.

As the sky had begun to darken he’d found himself watching the girl seemingly against his will.  Most of the fabric gracing her form had dried, but her . . . ‘blouse?’ had still been damp and the soft white material clung to her- her ‘bra’ doing little to hide the points of her breasts; hard little peaks tightened from the cold.  The sight had caused that primal voice to nudge at him again, whispering to him to lift her to him, to graze his fangs over her covered flesh.  That was the first moment she’d stirred, turning from her back onto her side toward him, her arms folding rather coincidentally and shielding the bothersome yet enticing image from his treacherous gaze.

There had seemed no point in waking her; they were approximately eight days distance from Edo and she would be in need of the rest if they were to start travel at first light.  Now he was urged to wake her simply to stop the restless turning that kept offering him such . . . deplorable views of her feminine attributes.  She made a soft, rumbling sound of comfort in the back of her throat and he pushed away another nudging from that primal voice at the sound.

Kagome blinked her sleepy eyes open, taking in the now familiar sight of Sesshomaru- though entirely unfamiliar in the fact that he was not wearing his armor, pelt or swords- not far from her in the flickering firelight.  Momentarily forgetting what had happened, her eyes quickly scanned for the rest of their group, but when she found noone the events of the previous day came crashing down on her.

Gasping, she sat up quickly, drawing Sesshomaru’s customarily bored gaze to hers, her own wide with shock.  “What happened?”

Frowning, he muttered darkly, “You happened, miko.”

“Oh, gods, Sesshomaru, I’m so sorry.  It was an accident, my foot slipped and-”

He held up one graceful, clawed hand and the words died on her lips.  “You will cease apologizing for past transgressions.”

Her brow furrowed at his statement.  “But . . . why?  I should be apologizing to you.”

“Because it serves no purpose; what is done is done.”

Biting her lip, she turned, noting that they were not far from the shore.  She almost felt an overwhelmingly stupid urge to ask him if he’d made the fire, but then it couldn’t have been anyone else and it occurred to her that she’d only thought to ask to fill the void of silence she knew he would allow to swallow them whole.  Being alone with Sesshomaru in the darkened night of the forest with nothing but firelight was bad enough, but being alone with him in such a setting with an awkward silence between them seemed worse.  He was very pretty by the flickering light of the fire and she was suddenly glad that during their travel together thus far he’d stayed far from it and her.

Clearing her throat, she pushed thoughts about how very appealing he suddenly was aside and grasped for the only conversation topic that made sense- and wouldn’t be likely to end up with him slicing her head from her body.  “So, what happened when you got back to the battle?  Where is everyone?”

“It was done and the rest of our traveling party has moved on.”

“WHAT?” She sat bolt upright, her eyes wide again in a mix of anger and disbelief . . . she remembered Sesshomaru telling Rin that the party was continuing on, but she’d thought Inuyasha would have thrown a conniption at the idea of her traveling alone with Sesshomaru and come to find her no matter what; how could he just leave her behind like that?

“They could not track us, nor could I them.  They had collected your things and it is likely they are headed to Edo in hopes that we will meet them along the way.”

Kagome groaned, burying her face in her hands.  “My things . . . I don’t even have my sleeping bag anymore.  I’m gonna freeze at night.”

Sesshomaru blinked slowly, taking in the casual movements of her arms- why had he not noticed sooner that one of her bandages was missing and that appendage no longer bruised- perhaps because he had been far too preoccupied with observing other parts of her?  “Miko, how did you heal?”

The abrupt change of subject brought her gaze immediately to his, her hands falling into her lap, “hmm?  Yeah, I don’t know how it happened.  They were still injured yesterday, but today, in the cave I found out they just . . . weren’t anymore.  I still want to go to Edo, though, because Kaede might be able to explain what’s going on.”

His brow furrowed lightly at her words.  It occurred to him that this might not be entirely dissimilar to the moment he had felt her wounds a short time after she’d received them- though it troubled him that something might enable her to have mirrored his own rapid healing in even the smallest measure- but he thought better on the idea of explaining such a thing to her.  Were he to mention this, it would inevitably lead to the further explanation of sharing other sensations that rippled through her body, and such a topic of discussion between them simply would not do.

The miko frowned, hunching over slightly as she unwound the other bandage, a sudden hunger pang from her lacing through him.  Standing, he simply bolted off, disappearing from sight for a few moments.

Kagome looked around, startled.  “Um . . . Sessh- Sesshomaru?”

Instantly she felt his presence behind her, a little, surprised shriek escaping her as a dead rabbit was dropped unceremoniously into her lap.  Gaping awkwardly at the poor creature, she forced a gulp down her throat . . . it looked like it was glaring accusingly at her from its little shiny dead eyes.

“Sesshomaru, what . . . ?”

“Are you not in need of food?”

She bit her lip again, feeling tears welling up in her eyes as she turned her face away from the pitiful little thing, reminding herself that no matter how graceful or pretty he might be that he was still youkai- his thinking still more animal that human in some aspects.  “I can’t eat this!”

“Do you not eat meat?”  His tone was vaguely incredulous at the idea that he had miscalculated something as he stood unmoving behind her.

“No, it’s not that . . . it’s just . . . .”  She fidgeted restlessly, uncomfortable with the weight of the deceased animal in her lap.  “It’s looking at me!”

Sesshomaru made a short, disgusted sound that was barely audible to her despite his closeness.  “Why are you so very strange, miko?”

Flustered, Kagome turned her head slightly in his direction, but didn’t dare look at him- she didn’t feel her temper would hold if she looked into those glittering gold eyes right now.  “I’m strange?  What about you?  You drop a rabbit you clearly just killed by snapping its neck into my lap and I’m supposed to find that appetizing?  It’s still warm; even if I tried I would get sick from eating raw meat- not to mention it could have diseased blood.  I’m not youkai!  I just can’t tear into an animal uncooked with its fur still on and staring at me!  Haven’t you learned anything from traveling with a human child?”

“Rin only eats fish which she prepares herself,” he replied simply, his bored tone thick with the suggestion that she should have already known this; maybe he was galled at the idea that she had less survival skills than an eight year old orphan.

Making a small, almost growling sound of agitation in the back of her throat, Kagome looked down at the pathetic little beast once more- no matter how awful she found the task, she didn’t see much choice; she was well aware her accident had probably thrown them a few days off course and she would need to eat.  “Fine, but . . . I don’t know how to skin an animal and even if I wanted to try, I have nothing to do it with.”

Sesshomaru repressed the urge to growl, but became aware that the miko felt the vague passing of anger through him; her shoulders tensing visibly and her head turning ever so slightly toward him again, blue eyes large with barely veiled fear.  He should just let her starve, but that would not do.  He had given Rin his unspoken word that he would deliver the miko to Edo unharmed and, to Sesshomaru, such a thing carried the same binding weight as any verbal agreement.

Kagome nearly jumped as one long arm reached down across her and into her lap.  She stared at the graceful clawed hand helplessly as it latched around the rabbit’s ears only to disappear from sight once more.  She forced a small gulp down her throat, the bizarre and stomach-turning sound of the skin being sliced from the meat aiding her in pushing away any torrid thoughts that might just have skittered across her mind.  After all, what did she think was going to happen- that he would drop to his knees behind her?  Slip that hand beneath her blouse and run those pretty claws delicately over her- ‘Gods, Kagome, not now!’ she reprimanded herself, squeezing her eyes tightly shut.

Sesshomaru’s gaze lifted momentarily from his task to settle on the back of the miko’s head.  He felt the vaguest hint of arousal rippling of off her for a moment- so quick that it had not affected her scent, but present all the same.  What about this moment could possibly make her think about any such thing?  Briefly he remembered his closeness to her only moments ago, his arm draping across her as his hand grasped blindly in her lap.  ‘Perhaps,’ his primal voice whispered, teasing him, ‘you should have tossed the animal away and reached beneath that little garment of hers, how warm and wet and perfectly ripe she would be from the simplest touch your hand, or- better still- pushed her unto her hands and knees before you; those bothersome ‘panties’ . . . just one flick of your claws away from a most delectable goal, indeed.’  He shut out the voice, slicing the little beast’s head from its body and allowing the sensation of his claws tearing through flesh and bone to blot out the image of turning the miko around and pushing her down as he tore her clothes away to bury his face between her-

With an abrupt growl at himself, he snatched up a stick, thrust it through the creature’s body and tossed the decidedly more presentable offering down before her.  “Um . . .” the miko cleared her throat with noticeable discomfort, “thank you, Sesshomaru.”

“Hmph,” with that he turned, striding toward the shore to wash the creature’s still cooling blood from his hands.

Kagome turned her head fully at last to watch him and immediately turned back, wishing she hadn’t.  The image of Sesshomaru-by-firelight didn’t seem so jarring anymore, not when compared to Sesshomaru-under-moonlight.  Chewing her lip, she picked up the stick and jammed it into the ground before the fire, angled so that the flames licked the meat.  Turning her head again, she glanced at the forest floor, her eyes landing on the discarded parts of the rabbit.

Sesshomaru returned to find the miko digging a small hole in the tightly packed earth with the aid of a stone.  Sitting himself neatly not far from her, he watched in puzzlement as she then reached around, gingerly taking the rabbit’s head and skin and dropping them into the hole before filling the dirt back in and smoothing it over with her little hands.

“What is the necessity of such a task?”

She blinked up at him, dusting off her hands on her skirt.  “Hmm?  No necessity, just . . . it died to feed me, I should at least give its remains a burial.  Aiding the cycle of life, I guess.”

He quirked one perfect silver eyebrow at her.  “The cycle of life . . . you will explain this to me.”

Kagome gave a small, but genuine giggle at this- it was odd to think she knew something that Sesshomaru- a few centuries older than she- would not.  “Well, um, plants feed animals, animals feed us and when animals and people die, we go back into the earth.  Our bodies decompose,” she noted him quirking an eyebrow at her again and quickly rethought her modern terminology, “our flesh and blood dry and break down into their most basic elements, nourishing the earth so that plants can grow and begin everything again.”

“Mm,” was his reply- what were this miko’s true people like that they had come so far in their understanding of things?

Kagome’s eyebrows lifted a fraction.  “Mm, not hmph?”

“Perhaps I expected an unintelligible response.”

“Oh,” of course he did, she was stupid enough to follow his ‘foolish hanyou brother’ around- often times at her own peril- how could he expect her to have even a marginal hint of intelligence?

Folding her hands in her lap she looked into the fire again, tempted though she was to simply stare at him.  She could feel that looming silence beginning to fall over them, but couldn’t think of anything else to discuss that wouldn’t aggravate the short-tempered daiyoukai.  Certainly around her friends she could voice anything that came to mind, discuss any of a million topics from her modern life that Sango, Shippo and Miroku didn’t understand, but listened to regardless; even Rin tended to pepper her with questions when she said something off-color or out of place for the time period.  She didn’t imagine that Sesshomaru would suffer her babbling very long before using some quick, but horrifically violent way to silence her.

The flames leaping up to lap at the rabbit’s flesh and quiet sounds of the forest at night were almost hypnotic and she found that picturing the many horrifically violent methods he might employ to kill her was a wonderful way to keep her mind off of illicit thoughts of him.  Why couldn’t she have woken up sooner?  Why did she have to faint in the first place?  When he’d removed his armor, surely his damp white haori would have been clinging to him, just a bit translucent, offering her an idea of what lay beneath- she wouldn’t have minded knowing if the real thing was at all like in her dreams.  Eyes going wide suddenly, Kagome caught her train of thought a little too late.  ‘Dammit!  Why can’t I stop thinking about him like this?  This is Sesshomaru, for crying out loud!’

Golden eyes flickered in her direction for the briefest moment.  It had happened again- he could feel that hint of arousal course through her, but only for a moment, not long enough to affect her scent.  With noone else around, what could she possibly be thinking about that would bring her close to giving off that inviting scent?  Of course he had already come to the terrible realization that she only smelled that way around him, but it still seemed an odd and difficult concept to grasp.  This was his detestable half-brother’s wench, after all.  ‘But then,’ that damnable voice began quietly, ‘is she truly his?  Did he not claim that vile undead miko as his?  Would that not make this miko yours for the taking?’  He pushed this thinking aside.  Even if he did want her, which told himself emphatically he did not- his internal argument was cut short as a chill laced through him.  Sesshomaru was not bothered by temperature changes, so the only plausible explanation was that miko was feeling the cold of the night air.

Kagome had managed to distract herself from the ever looming naughty thoughts of a dripping wet Sesshomaru, her gaze fixed pointedly on her hands in her lap when a gentle weight fell upon her shoulders; soft white folds came into her vision, falling over her arms.  Blinking herself back into the moment, she realized Sesshomaru- Sesshomaru!- had placed his haori over her.

Looking over at him as he seated himself neatly once more, she saw the horridly pretty daiyoukai was indeed bare from the waist up.  Forcing a gulp down her throat, she tore her eyes away before they had the opportunity to wander over any previously unseen parts of him in the flickering orange light.  Suddenly not thinking about him in a naughty way seemed an uphill battle- an uphill battle that had her standing alone against an army of half-naked Sesshomarus.  Biting deep into her bottom lip, she squeezed her eyes tightly shut.

She grated the words out through lightly clenched teeth, “Why’d you do that?”

“You are in need of cover from the cold, I am not.”

Come to think of it, why was he doing any of these things for her?  “But . . . already . . . you saved me when I fell into the water, you made a fire- since you’re not bothered by the cold that had to be for my benefit- you brought me food and now . . . .  You don’t have to do all this, you know.”

“And what would your death by drowning, starvation or the ravages of cold gain me?”

Shaking her head, she plotted around in her mind for a response before speaking.  “No, I mean . . . I only asked for your help because I was injured.  I’m not anymore; why didn’t you just leave me after you found that out?  You’ve got better things to do than play babysitter to an accident-prone miko.”

“I wonder,” he began in that oh, so familiar bored tone, “what would become of you if I were to do such a thing?  You are unarmed, unskilled in defending yourself in anyway, lack even the most basic skills necessary to survive an environment such as this and more than likely have not the faintest idea which direction to take to reach Edo.”

“What’s it to you?” Although he was right- in every respect- she couldn’t help being angered by the insulting reminders of her inadequacies that rolled so easily off of his tongue.

Of course his primal thinking had a response for this, but he brushed it aside before the words could be voiced.  “It is nothing to me; I did not give my word to accompany you while you were injured.”  His following statement shocked the miko, clearly she knew that he’d not ‘given his word’ about anything.  “I undertook the task of bringing you to Edo.  As such I intend to deliver you to that destination in one, fully functioning piece.”

Kagome couldn’t help that his casually stated declaration brought her gaze instantly up to meet his.  It was a move for which she really wished she could kick herself; sure, she was looking at his eyes, but that didn’t stop her peripheral vision from taking in the rest of him.  After a moment- an awfully long moment, that had her holding her breath, though she wasn’t entirely certain why- he turned away, peering into the fire.  Feeling as though she’d been quietly dismissed, she tried to turn her head away as well . . . but her body had other notions.  Blues eyes wandered down along his throat, over his shoulders –they certainly were broad- his pale, faintly sculpted chest.  It felt like a sin in and of itself to be gazing upon his long, lean, tightly muscled torso as the light and shadows caused by the flickering of flames danced so artfully across them, but then, wasn’t it better to sin in her head than in reality?  Maybe imagining wasn’t so bad, since dreams like the ones she’d had of him would never- ever- happen there really couldn’t be any harm in it.

“Miko,” he said quietly, his voice utterly toneless.

“Yes,” Kagome squeaked, her eyes leaping immediately to his face as her own flooded with a blush only to find his attention still fixed on the fire.

“You will remove your gaze from my person.”

Blushing harder- though she wasn’t sure it was possible- she wrenched her eyes from him completely, focusing on the slowly roasting rabbit and cleared her throat uncomfortably.  “I’m sorry. I . . . I guess I’m just, uh, just not used to seeing so much of you.”

“Hmph.”

He smelled it this time . . . that faint coiling through of her scent with that hint he wished she would stop giving off.  Sesshomaru had to stop the miko from looking at him in such a manner.  She did not realize she was unwittingly inviting male attention with her actions and the more these things occurred, the more difficult it became to quiet that loathsome, nudging voice in the back of his mind.  How could he continue to tell himself that such things were out of the question when the miko was the one putting such notions in his head, no matter how unintentionally?

Repressing the urge to yawn, Kagome shifted, pulling her legs out from under her to sit cross-legged beneath the voluminous white garment.  Her heel stuck against the hem and she tugged it free, the overly rough gesture- making her aware of how very frustrated she actually was by her predicament- knocked the spit loose, the roasting meat falling into the fire.

“Dammit,” she whined softly, reaching for the stick before pulling her hand away in shock.

Sesshomaru, seemingly without any thought at all, placed his hand into the flames, grasping the burning meat and setting it right again.  She let out a tiny wordless shriek, instantly shuffling over to him on her knees.

“Don’t do things like that!” she shouted, taking his hand in both of hers.

Settling quickly beside him, she bent her head over his hand, examining it.  There was nothing, not the faintest hint of redness or lingering heat.  His skin showed no sign at all of having just been in a fire.  Dumbstruck by this, Kagome traced over his palm with the tips of her fingers, looking for some sign of injury she might have missed.

Sesshomaru was bothered by the delicate touch of the miko’s skin trailing across his.  “I am unharmed, miko.  You need not concern yourself.”

Kagome looked up, suddenly surprised that his face was so close to hers, but she was too aggravated at his blatant disregard for her worry to have any sordid thoughts even attempt to cross her mind.  “What are you, nuts?  I’m human, okay?  We tend to get concerned when we see someone we care about doing something we know would harm us!”

His hand was still grasped in both of her little ones and he glanced down at it for a moment before raising his gaze to meet hers once more.  “Someone you care about?” he echoed quietly.

Kagome’s mouth dropped open, her lips working to find words- she’d not even realized what she’d said until Sesshomaru repeated it back to her.  Releasing his hand, she folded her arms beneath the haori.  What the hell ever possessed her to say such a thing to him?  She didn’t care about Sesshomaru . . . not in the way she probably had just made it seem . . . right?

“I didn’t mean it the way it sounded,” she huffed, wondering if she sounded childish- she wished she had further explanation for her slip, but she simply couldn’t think of anything to say that would make the statement sound any better, “never mind.”

“Hmph,” Sesshomaru said, simply for lack of knowing what to say, and looked back into the fire; why did her words unsettle him, why had he noticed that bit of phrasing at all?

They sat in awkward silence for a long while and Kagome found herself oddly grateful that he’d not pressed her about the matter.  What would she have said, ‘I’ve come to think of you as a friend?’ yeah, right, or ‘Well, the feudal era just wouldn’t be the same without you?’  The best one seemed to be, ‘It’s just because you’re Inuyasha’s brother, and I’m Inuyasha’s . . . .’  The half-finished thought sent her teeth nibbling into her bottom lip.  What was she to Inuyasha?  Was she ever going to move out of Kikyou’s shadow and become something more to him?  She never wanted to be anyone’s second choice, but could she help it that Inuyasha’s unwavering devotion to a dead woman made her feel like a consolation prize?

“Miko, if you allow the meat to roast any longer will it not become inedible?”

“Oh, right,” for a moment, she’d completely forgotten about the rabbit- she’d also forgotten that after having scooted over to examine Sesshomaru’s miraculously unburned hand she’d never reclaimed her original seat.

Retreating now would be pointless, so she simply reached over and wrested the stick out of the ground, blowing gently on the steaming meat.  Sesshomaru watched the action, silver eyebrows lifting just a bit.

Kagome turned to him, mirroring his expression.  “I can’t eat it if it’s too hot, I’ll burn my mouth.”

“Humans are bizarre beasts,” he said, sounding almost thoughtful.

She couldn’t help that his assessment made her laugh.  “I guess so- can’t eat meat that’s not cooked, but can’t eat it if it’s too hot.  Yes, we’re a puzzle alright.”

“Hmph,” he muttered the sound, returning his gaze to the flames.

The miko was mocking him- were it anyone else he would be removing her head from her body right now.  This thought bothered him- surely he could not be making an exception for her because it was she.  No, that could not be the reason.  Perhaps because doing such a thing would undermine his task of delivering her unharmed to Edo?  Yes, that was the only plausible explanation.  Rin would never forgive him were he to explain that he had been forced to dispatch her beloved ‘nee-chan’ because she had made fun of him.

Another long moment of quiet passed between them as Kagome attempted to cool the rabbit’s meat.  It was much more comfortable now that she’d managed the lighthearted joke and he’d graciously allowed it to slide.  Lightly touching a fingertip to the meat, she tested its temperature before finally taking a small bite.  It was still just a bit too hot and she opened her mouth, drawing in quick gulps of air as she rolled it around on her tongue.  She was pretty sure that simply spitting it back into her hand wouldn’t do much to improve Sesshomaru’s already poor thinking of humans.  A sudden sound from the forest of a skittering animal startled her, causing her to accidentally swallow the food before it was cool enough.

Instantly he felt a searing in his throat, the unfamiliar sensation forcing Sesshomaru to look at the miko.  Her face contorted into a terrible grimace as she quickly dropped the rabbit, one hand clamping over her mouth as the other gripped lightly around her throat.  He moved in a blur to remedy the situation.  Could the damnable woman not go a few blessed hours without endangering herself?

Kagome could feel tears welling up behind her tightly closed eyes as she attempted to gulp in more air, but it was no use; she’d already burned her esophagus, she needed something to drink.  Suddenly she felt cold liquid touching her lips and sipped quickly, reaching up to grasp the container in both hands as the cooling sensation spread through her.  She was almost surprised at the instant relief it brought- as well as what the container turned out to be.

Opening her eyes, she saw Sesshomaru’s hand cupped in front of her mouth, the palm still glistening from the water.  Clutching his wrist still, she looked up at him to thank him, but the look on his face halted her ability to form words.

He hated that he could not stop his gaze from being drawn to her lips, the beads of moisture there glinting in the firelight were strangely mesmerizing.  Why, why was the miko looking at him like that?  Why was she still touching him?  His thoughts and actions were suddenly separate as he turned his hand, running the tips of his claws delicately over her lips.  The miko let out a short, surprised breath, but did nothing to stop him as his fingers moved across her cheek and over her jaw to trace down the pulse in her throat.

Kagome could only observe his expression in mute fascination- he was watching the movement of his own fingers over her as though he had no control over them.  Not angry, though, just . . . bewildered.  The illicit thoughts she’d been trying so hard to run away from were bombarding her now; filling her head so that she couldn’t escape them.  His claws tickled lightly in the hollow of her throat before dipping beneath her blouse to stroke over her collar bone.

The scent of the miko’s arousal coiled up around him, stronger than he was accustomed to; inviting him to continue, but he knew if he did not end this now he might not be able to at all.

Pulling his hand away, he resumed his seat as he muttered quietly.  “You are in need of rest now.  Finish the meal when you awaken if necessary.”

Forcing a gulp down her throat, Kagome nodded.  “Uh, yeah, okay Sesshomaru.”  ‘What the hell just happened?’

Pillowing her head on her arm, she curled her body into itself beneath the haori as she tried not to think about it.  There was just something about the way he’d looked at her before he had touched her; so faint that she almost thought she’d imagined it but . . . .  As she thought back on it, there seemed to be no mistaking that heat she had seen in the depths of his eyes.  A muted hint, really, but there all the same and so strikingly familiar to what she’d imagined in all those dreams- ‘six,’ she reminded herself, ‘six dreams of a naked, sweaty Sesshomaru’.  Closing her eyes, she felt sleep rolling up to claim her almost instantly and prayed to whatever gods might listen not to let her have another of those dreams tonight.

The miko’s breathing became shallow and even and Sesshomaru turned his head, looking over the slumbering girl as he allowed a small, exasperated breath to escape his lips.  What in the world was wrong with him?  Could he truly not fight whatever was drawing him to her?  It bothered him that he had been affected by her concern when she had thought he was burned.  It bothered him more that he had felt himself vaguely concerned when she had seared her throat.

When the dreams had only been dreams- had only caused thoughts to skitter across his waking mind from time to time- it had been simpler.  This turn of events, however . . . he would have to expedite their journey, for there seemed little doubt that if he were to suffer her solitary company much longer he would give in to the urgings of his primal mind.

An odd sensation whispered over him and he raised an arm to his face for examination.  What were those little bumps rising all over his skin?  Another hint of chill laced through him and he understood; even under his kimono the miko was cold.  His brow furrowed, looking into the flames as he thought over this latest problem.

He could not recall Rin ever taking issue with sleeping in the forest at night and the little girl had never had the aid of a . . . ‘sleeping-bag?’ and it seemed unlikely that the miko had less constitution than a child.  Something he had missed, perhaps?  Rin slept in front of a fire and a fire was before the miko.  Rin wore only her kimono and the miko now had his haori covering her.  Rin slept curled up against Ah-Un and . . . .  He gave a low, rumbling sigh that was very close to a growl as he cursed his calculations.

Rin slept against Ah-Un, the beast’s larger body giving her the added warmth she needed and blocking her from the cold.  His gaze fell on the miko again.  Perhaps this sensation would pass with no aid on his behalf.  Strangely on cue the miko shivered visibly beneath the white fabric.  Perhaps it was not too late to find another two headed dragon somewhere.  She trembled again and he once more found himself cursing the very earth itself, for his consideration upon the matter told him there was only one thing that could be done to prevent him delivering a frozen-solid miko to Edo.

The sky was still dark when Kagome shifted a bit in her sleep, certain that she’d half-awoken from one of those dreams; because there was simply no way the delicious warmth she felt cradling her body was real.  She snuggled back against it instinctively before noticing a weight that seemed draped across her breast . . . not grasping or even moving, simply there. Opening her eyes slowly, she looked down to see twin magenta stripes curving artfully around a pale wrist.  She closed her eyes again- she had to be dreaming.  But . . . Sesshomaru hadn’t growled at her for moving back against him.  After admonishing her just for looking at him earlier, wouldn’t he have done the very same for her pushing herself against him?  Maybe he’d fallen asleep?

It occurred to her that it had felt good to press herself back against him like that . . . maybe . . . if he were sleeping . . . he wouldn’t notice if she did it again.  Biting deeply into her lip- and wondering when the hell she’d become so very brave- Kagome pressed herself against him once more, unable to stop the accompanying whimpered sigh of contentment that escaped her.  Rather suddenly she felt something hard against her bottom through their clothes.  Every dark little thought she’d been plagued by recently flooded her mind and it was all she could do not to turn toward him.

She could just be imagining things . . . experimentally she rolled her hips just a little, pressing herself against it again and heard a soft, rumbling growl behind her ear.  Eyes flashing open, she turned her head to find Sesshomaru watching her face over her shoulder.  She wanted to ask him why he was holding her, but there was that unmistakable heat in his gaze that caused her thought processes to shut down entirely.

Sesshomaru was surrounded by her scent now and his gaze moved from hers to fix on her lips - had it not been only the sleep cycle before last that he had imagined what it would be like to lap his tongue over that tender bit of her- he could not stop the images his dreams had presented him from coming into his mind.  That she smelled of arousal for him only, that she awoke in such a manner and did not attempt to extricate herself from him . . . did these things not mean she was inviting him?

He watched in near-fascination as the miko’s little teeth sunk into her lip, such an oddly enticing gesture.  He no longer wished to argue with himself over this and he became aware that somehow, they had each managed to wear through the innate defenses against one another they once possessed.  At the very least, he thought, his primal mind would cease its ramblings and lowered his mouth slowly, allowing her every opportunity to stop him.  She let out a halting breath and- just before his lips touched her throat- tilted her head, offering more of her skin to his grazing fangs and swirling tongue.  If the miko was inviting him, he would not but oblige her.