Cursed

He pondered her words silently. After thinking a few minutes, he asked her: “Would you mind this Sesshoumarou thinks things through before we set out on this journey?” She smiled lightly and answered back: “Not at all. Besides, I believe that a feast will soon be ready to welcome the arrival of your nephew and niece. I’m certain you are a most proud uncle” Her bright and dazzling smile slowly faded away when he answered: “This Sesshoumarou cares not about the half-breed’s spawns. He was merely visiting his ward to monitor his progress. It is a fortuitous event that this Sesshoumarou would find himself in this village to witness such event.”

She lowered her eyes, a sad gaze quickly hidden by her dark bangs, while saying: “I apologize, lord Sesshoumarou. It was impolite of me to assume that you would have been inclined to celebrate the newest additions to your younger brother’s pack. I could not know that you were on such terms.” She got up and started walking towards the village before a hand caught her wrist, stopping her movements. “I thought our conversation was finished, lord Sesshoumarou... Is there anything else?” she asked.

He smirked in her direction, and answered: “This Sesshoumarou is grateful for your help in releasing his desire; he only wishes to return the favor.” Her eyes widened as the words sunk in. He slowly pulled her closer to him. His grip on her wrist was quite strong, and she knew that if she resisted, it would be bruised and purple the following day. Sesshoumarou’s eyes narrowed as he spoke: “Why do you resist? Do you not wish for this Sesshoumarou to pleasure you?”

Her eyes shifted to the ground, not able to stand looking into his intense eyes. Sesshoumarou was surprised, as she held her own and would always look him in the eyes. She wrapped her other arm around her mid section, as if to comfort herself. The demon lord was puzzled, as stood before him a completely different woman than mere moments ago. Still holding her wrist, he slowly stood in front of her, towering above the small priestess.

He used his free hand to turn the miko’s face toward his. He waited until her eyes finally looked into his and said softly: “This Sesshoumarou will not do anything you do not wish.” His eyes almost warmed up when he felt the miko relax. He had seen how stiff her body had become and he assumed that she just did not want him to touch her in such a way. He continued, his tone warmer, and in almost a caring way said: “Though most females would be honoured by his offer, this Sesshoumarou does not take offence to being refused by women. It is one place where one should not take by force what one cannot obtain by other means of persuasion.”

Sakura was speechless as the demon lord spoke. Not only had he acknowledged and respected the fact that she did not want him touching her, he had also been kind in his words. She hadn’t realized how stiff her body had become. Her joints hurt, and she knew that she would be sore tomorrow from the strain she had just put her body through.

What happened next surprised her even more. Sesshoumarou bent slightly, let go of her wrist and wrapped both his arms around her small frame and brought her closer to his body in a warm embrace. He placed a small kiss on her forehead before allowing her head to lie on his chest. He felt that she was still stiff as a board in his arms, and he wanted her to relax. He felt obligated, as he had been the one to put her in that state. He knew that a special growl was used by parents to sooth upset pups, and he had seen it work on Rin a few times when she was woken up by bad dreams.
His chest started rumbling with a barely audible growl, which sent shivers down Sakura’s spine. She also felt all her muscles instantly relax, as if the rumbling wave was washing away all the built up stress caused by the events that took place in past twenty four hours. Her knees suddenly felt like rags and buckled under her own weight. She felt the strong arms around her small frame tighten to keep her from crashing on the hard forest floor.

Sesshoumarou smirked, satisfied with himself. He was glad that he could bring the miko some form of comfort. He picked her up bridal style, which caused her to gasp in surprise. He resumed his rumbling growl, as he said softly: “This Sesshoumarou believes that you need rest, as you have used much of your strength on others today, and despite your distressing state, has kept little for yourself. This Sesshoumarou will bring you back to the miko Kaede’s hut so that you may rest. You will be able to sleep soundly, as no other pregnant woman, nor distressed pups, nor any other cursed demon lords are going to bother you.”

That remark brought a smile to Sakura’s lips. She answered to his smirk remark: “No indeed, I sense in this area no pregnant woman nor any children in need of help. As for other cursed demon lord, I’m not so sure...” She said with a playful grin.

He looked down into her deep turquoise eyes before answering: “This Sesshoumarou did not say that they were not present, he only stated that they would not bother you. This Sesshoumarou will not allow anything to disturb your sleep, as you direly need it.

She gave him a tired smile and answered back: “Well, if you, lord Sesshoumarou, feels so strongly about this, then who am I to argue. I will comply to your wishes” Though very solemn in her words, her tone held a playfulness which clued the demon lord on the real meaning of her words. His stare intensified as he spoke: “This Sesshoumarou will ensure that none disturbs your slumber. You are protected and your skills are not needed at this time. Your life belongs to this Sesshoumarou, and he protects what is his with fierceness and determination. It would look bad on this Sesshoumarou if his miko died from exhaustion. Besides, his miko has a most important role in breaking the curse that binds this Sesshoumarou. It is therefore a priority that she gets the rest needed so that she may heal properly.”

She was somehow shell-shocked when he told her that way. He saw her as ‘his’ and he defended his property fiercely. ‘Well, worst things could happen...at least now, I don’t have to worry about being alone in this god-forsaken era. Though, I have to say, I have felt more at ease here, for the past 24 hours then in all the years I lived in my time...’ She stopped her thoughts from trailing further, as she had something that she needed to address with the demon lord: “Lord Sesshoumarou, as we are going to be traveling together for a while now, I was wondering if you would mind dropping some of the usual formalities. I find that when you are addressing yourself in the 3rd person, as well as myself as though I wasn’t present slightly off-putting...”

Her honesty surprised the demon lord. Her request was formulated in a very polite way, and he sincerely did not have any objections to her request. He answered: “I don’t see a problem with your request when we are amongst ourselves. However, when with others, the use of formal tone is more appropriate.” She lifted her head slightly so she could look him in the eyes, giving him a warm smile as she said: “Thank you, I appreciate it”

Sesshoumarou was mesmerized by her smile. Her lips were perfectly shaped and beautiful cherry color. ‘Her lips are so beautiful, nice and plump...’ thought his beast ‘yes, they sure are’ answered Sesshoumarou. ‘I bet they taste good...I’m sure they must be soft as well...’ the beast continued ‘Yes I can only imagine that they are as soft as the finest silk, and taste of ripe cherries...’ thought Sesshoumarou ‘we don’t want to imagine, we want to know... kiss our miko... devour her lips...’ purred the beast. Seeing Sakura blushing furiously, the demon lord realized that she could still hear his thoughts. ‘Be quite you lecherous thing’ he scolded his beast ‘Please... just one little taste...’ ‘QUIET’ growled Sesshoumarou.

As Sesshoumarou had guesses, Sakura had heard the whole exchange and found it rather amusing. Though the beast was more primal, more instinct driven, and certainly had its mind in a gutter, Sesshoumarou seemed to agree with it from time to time, and it was only when he remembered about the situation that he quieted his perverted resident. She grinned and then asked: “Does it always give you such a hard time?”

His eyes narrowed slightly before he answered: “It is quiet most of the time. Though I must say, your presence seems to have quite an effect on it. You have to remember that my beast is mainly driven by instincts. Since you are a strong, attractive female, it knows that you would bare strong and healthy pups, paired with the fact that you are of pup baring age, it therefore views you as a potential mate.” Her blush darkened and she quickly looked away. She now really wanted this conversation to end. She suddenly realized that he was still carrying her bridal-style. Her eyes widened as she spoke: “I must be getting heavy...”

He snorted before answering: “If you were, I would have dropped you by now. You are exhausted and need to rest. I will therefore carry you back to the hut so you may get some sleep. After all, we have a long journey ahead of us.” She chuckled lightly before answering: “That’s quite the euphemism...” He smirked at her comment. He started walking towards village, Sakura still in his arms. She eventually rested her head against his chest and doze off.