Cursed

A/N: WARNING, AS PRESENT IN MY SUMMARY TAGS,
This chapter is to start setting Sakura’s past. It’s not a cheerful chapter, and there is a very very big warning. You can skip that part without missing much of the storyline. Please don’t stone me, as it is important for the character development...
As I said at the beginning of chapter 1, I’m not one to put lemon warnings, but his is about child rape and understand the delicate nature of it. Skip it if you don’t want to read it...
The chapter starts in a rough way, but ends in a cute, funny way...
Enjoy!
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Sesshoumarou had returned to the small hut, and had carefully snuggled the miko in his fluffy tail. He had been careful not to wake her as he had placed her head on his lap. She seemed exhausted, and he had promised her that nothing would wake her, and he was one to honour his word. Though it was still during the afternoon, Sesshoumarou leaned back and shut his eyes, listening to the sounds of the village. He dozed off, waking only in the middle of the night, when he felt the miko’s aura flare in distress. He then realized that she was dreaming. ‘What disturbs you during the night, my little miko?’ Sesshoumarou asked himself. He decided he would find out for himself, as he would go for a little stroll in the miko’s dream. He placed his hand on her forehead and shut his eyes, waiting for the connection to form.

Sakura knew that she was dreaming. This was a nightmare that haunted her nights since she was a young. It was her mind’s way to process the painful events that had plagued most parts of her teenage life and keep her sane. Even though she could rationalize what was happening, reliving these events was never pleasant. She was in a small area of the inner court of the shrine she grew up on. It was a very secluded area, and she knew that few people went there. It was late during the evening, well past dusk. The cherry blossoms where in full bloom, and Sakura snickered at the sight. Now a days, the simple scent of the flowers were enough to have her nauseous. She sat on a small patch of grass, folding her knees to her chest and wrapping her arms around it. She knew that the memory would soon start to replay itself for her. She then felt a presence in her dream. Something was wrong; he should not be there.

“Lord Sesshoumarou?” she called out.

“Yes miko?” he answered, standing behind her. She did not turn around to face him as she asked: “May I please know what it is that you are doing in my dream?” He noted that her voice was tensed, and that there seemed to be mild irritation in her tone. He answered: “You seemed to be agitated in your sleep. I was wondering what it was that you were dreaming about.” She sighed loudly before saying: “It is a memory. An unpleasant memory.”

The demon lord sat down next to her and said: “Then I will stay with you until it is over.” She never looked at him, her gaze still fixed on one point. She did not have the time to answer before she spotted two figures approaching in the dark. She spoke softly, a bare whisper: “I don’t think you will enjoy seeing this... If you wish to leave, now would be a good time.” Before he could answer, Sesshoumarou spotted the two approaching silhouettes.

He saw what looked like a tall, large man followed by a small girl. They were both wearing the traditional miko garbs, large black pants and white kimono top. From his spot, the demon lord could make out the distinctive feature of the girl, turquoise eyes and heart-shaped lips, and figured that he was looking at a younger version of Sakura. He roughly estimated that she must have been around the same age as his ward Rin. The man was tall and overweight. He had seen large men in sumo matches, and couldn’t help but think that this man had clearly missed a glorious career. They both halted next to a blooming tree.

Sesshoumarou could see the look on the man’s face and was disturbed by what he saw. There was a strange mix of cruelty and lust in his dilated irises. The man looked down onto the child and said: “It is my understanding that you have now become a woman, Sakura? You have recently experienced your first bleeding?” The girl standing before him blushed and nodded, never removing her eyes from the ground. She had never liked the man, and every time he looked at her, it sent shivers down her spine. He smiled down at her as he grabbed her chin in his large hand, forcing her head up so she would look at him as he spoke: “Well, then it is the time that you learn what are a woman’s duties and how to execute them properly.” He chuckled as her eyes grew wide. He pushed her roughly, pinning her against a tree, making her feel his bulge against her.

Sesshoumarou suddenly felt nauseous. He could only imagine his little ward in the same situation, how innocent and pure as she was, confronted to such a monster. He was unable to control the growl that came out of his chest.

***** WARNING, RAPE SCENE STARTS HERE ******

She was so small next to the man that his erected member was rubbing on her chest. She did not know what was expected of her, only that she did not like what was happening. He violently grabbed one of her wrists and shoved her hand in his pants. She could feel his hot member under her palm as he ordered: “Wrap your fingers around me.” As she complied, his hand still firmly wrapped around her wrist forced her to move up and down his shaft. He started panting, as his other hand started undoing her clothes. As she found herself naked in front of him, he started fondling her chest. She had yet to start developing adult attributes and was still flat as a board; her body still that of a child. By that point, she was completely shell-shocked, and she was unable to utter a single word while tears begun to form in her eyes. He then removed his own clothes, and she could see him completely. She shunned at the sight, as she had never seen a naked man before, and wasn’t sure if she ever would want to see one again. The smell of his arousal overpowered her nostrils. She also found that he smelt of grime and dirt, mixed with sweat and urine lingered on him. She found him utterly repulsive. Nothing could have prepared her for what came next.
As he pushed down on her little shoulders, he ordered: “Kneel, you little whore.” She looked at him shocked. She didn’t know if it was the command that angered her or what he had just called her. His eyes narrowed and he slapped her so violently that she ended up knocking her head on the tree she was pinned against. She was now seeing stars and black spots dancing before her eyes. She felt two large hands on her shoulder push her down. She wasn’t able to struggle and she crashed onto the hard floor. He grabbed her by the hair and pulled her up towards his shaft. His tight grip brought a new wave of tears to her eyes, blurring her vision. He brought her face closer to his shaft. His smell assaulted her nose once again, making her gag.

Taking advantage of the fact that her mouth was open from her gagging, he quickly slid his whole length into her small mouth. His grip firmly in place, he moved her head so that it rested on the tree trunk, giving him the leisure to pump in and out as fast as he wanted to. Her eyes were wide from the pain of her stretched mouth, as well as the acid burning her oesophagus from the gagging. She wanted to throw up, but simply couldn’t. Tears were now flowing freely from her eyes. In desperation, she placed her small hands on his hips and tried pushing with all her strength to slow him down. He grabbed both her wrists with his free hand and pinned both her hands on top of her head.
Sesshoumarou was beside himself. He was now flexing his poisonous claw, wanting to feel the man’s flesh under it. He had always found that rape was dishonourable, and that males who imposed themselves on woman should be stripped of their offending appendage. If they couldn’t control it, they shouldn’t be allowed to keep it. What he was witnessing now was beyond that. To harm a child in such a way was below all the atrocities that he had seen committed in times of war. It was about to get worst.

When the man felt that he was close to his release, he stopped pumping and withdrew from her mouth, leaving her gasping for air. He quickly lifted her back up and flipped her around so that she was facing the tree. She felt him bend down to pick up something and was surprised when her mouth was stuffed with a piece of clothing. She understood quickly that it was to muffle her screams as she felt the man press himself against her. Her hands still pinned above her head, she could not remove the gag. She could feel his manhood pulsating on her back, as he slowly lowered himself. With his free hand, he spread her legs and lined up the tip of his manhood between her cheeks and rammed his whole shaft into her tight anus. The pain nearly got her to lose consciousness as he pumped inside her bowels. Her screams were efficiently muffled by the gag. Had he not placed the piece of clothing in her mouth, she would have most certainly bitten down her own tongue and died on the spot. She felt his pace hasten, and then he stopped, as he spilled his sticky warm seed all over her insides.

****** WARNING ENDS ; SAFE FROM HERE ON ******

He withdrew from her, panting. He released her wrists and let her crash to the ground. She curled up on the hard ground in a foetal position, shaking. He threw her clothes at her saying: “Get dressed, you filthy little whore. You’re truly disgusting. You’re lucky that a man such as myself would actually consider looking at you.”
With these last words, the demon lord exploded in a fit of fury. In a blink, he was standing between the man and the child, clawing at him. He snarled as his claws hit nothing but air, literally going through the man. He did this for a long minute, feeling his rage grow. Suddenly, something made him stop. He felt arms wrap around his waist, as a body pressed against his back. His mind returned as he slowly remembered that he was in a dream, witnessing a memory. He could do nothing to alter it.

He watched the fat man retrieving his clothes and getting dressed, and then leaving. He saw the child doing the same, and watched her disappearing figure. He looked down at the small arms that were wrapped around him. He knew the miko had stopped him because she felt that nothing would come out of his fit. He turned around, her arms still around him and looked at her. Her eyes were completely blank, devoid of any readable emotions. He bent down slightly and wrapped his arms around her, nuzzling his nose in the crook of her neck. He didn’t know if he was doing this to bring her comfort, or to simply be comforted. He was deeply troubled by what he had just seen, and he knew that these images would haunt him for the rest of his very long life.

He ran one of his claws in her raven hair and said in a strangled voice: “You were right, though this is quite an understatement; I hated what I just saw.” She looked away as he spoke. Something in her eyes disturbed the demon lord greatly. Though it only gleamed for a second, he couldn’t believe what he had just seen. He had to know: “You can’t possibly be feeling shame for what that monster did to you, can you?” His voice betrayed by his emotions, he couldn’t hide his surprise or his anger. She looked at him, surprised. She opened her mouth to speak, but her voice stayed strangle in her throat. He continued in her stead: “What this man did to you is unforgivable. He has done you a great wrong.” She once again looked away, and silent tears began to roll down her face. He licked them away, and she looked at him, surprised.

Something in her demeanour made him flinch. He now understood why she had stiffened up when he had tried to touch her. There was a question at the edge of his mind, and he knew that there was no way to sugar coat it as he spoke: “Did it happen more than this one time?” He cringed internally as he saw the pain in her eyes. She only nodded. When he kept on staring at her, she took a deep breath before speaking: “Two to three times a month, until my sixteenth spring.” Her mind was slowly settling down, and she found herself able to think again. Never had she shared that experience with anyone, except for her closest friend, and even then, it had taken years to do so. She had never gone into details with him, only the main lines of the event. He had cried for her, and tried to comfort her the best he could, but she never could shake the feeling that the abuse she had gone through had left.

She noticed that the demon lord’s eyes had grown slightly wider as his mind analysed the information, before he asked: “How old were you when it all began?” She answered patiently: “It was during my tenth spring.” Sesshoumarou winced as he got that information. How it was that no one was there to protect that child was beyond him. How could such a thing happen? She looked into his eyes and smiled weakly before she said: “Please don’t grieve over my past, lord Sesshoumarou. As you have seen, I have grown to be powerful and hold my own.” His eyes grew sad. He continued running his claw through her hair as he said: “Yes, you are truly strong and powerful. You seem to have quite a strong will to live; however, what of your solitude?” As she looked at him, puzzled, he continued: “It is quite clear to me that you have good reasons to not want to be touched by men, and I can respect this fully as your experience has been one of violence and pain. You also give me the impression of being a very caring and maternal person, would you not want a family and pups?”

A sad smile turned the corners of her mouth upwards as she spoke: “It doesn’t really matter; you have seen what I look like, you know my past, who would want of someone as ugly and disgusting as me?” Her words made him cringe internally. She continued saying: “Besides, I wouldn’t want a child to live with the shame of having me as its mother and also...” She clearly wasn’t finished with her sentence when she was interrupted by lips crashing down on hers. She was so surprised that she didn’t dare move. The lips were soft and silky, and there was certain urgency behind the kiss. She allowed one of her hands that was still sitting around his waist to crawl up to his neck and rest there, feeling the silky hair tangle around her fingers.

Sesshoumarou finally broke the kiss and said: “I apologize for not asking first, but I wanted you to stop talking this instant... He sighed before continuing... If you were disgusting, or ugly, or shameful, I would not have saved your life and then asked for repayment of your debt. I do not bother with people of that nature. Though these words truly apply to the fat monster that was present... I would actually go out of my way to skin him alive, and then use my Tenseiga to bring him back to life and start over.” His last comment was rewarded with a small smile and chuckle. He leaned and kissed her again, this time his kiss was softer, less pressing, very tender. She allowed herself to actually lean into his kiss, enjoying the chastity of it, finding comfort for all the events that had taken place over the past few hours. This time, she broke it off and rubbed her nose against his, playfully.

He felt the dream dissolving around him and knew that she was waking up. He withdrew back to his own mind, finding it hard to shake the disturbing images from his mind’s eye. He woke in the small hut, noticed that the fire was still burning and was surprised at the fact that the hut was completely empty except for his ward. Rin was looking at him from across the fire, smiling: “Good morning, Lord Sesshoumarou!” She chirped happily. He answered: “Good morning, Rin. Where is everyone? It is still quite early...” She grinned as she answered: “Lord Sesshoumarou’s aura flared during the night, and it was so overpowering that everyone left except for Rin. Ris is used to Lord Sesshoumarou’s aura when he is angry so she wasn’t afraid. What caused lord Sesshoumarou to be so angry?” He knew that if he did not keep it to the simplest, he would be bombarded with endless questions. He simply answered: “It was a dream of a memory long ago.” He then shut his eyes and leaned against the wall, ending the discussion. He heard Rin move out of the small hut.

She started stirring, gradually awakening from her deep slumber. She felt rested, and also felt strangely calm, as though a weight was lifted off her shoulders. She opened her eyes to find herself once again curled up in a mountain of white fluff. This time, she was in no rush to get up. She was comfortable and wanted to stay so for as long as she could. She felt clawed fingers running through her hair, and she had to admit that she sort of liked it. She sighed, content. She heard a deep voice ask her: “I trust you have slept well, my miko?” She smiled, still half asleep as she answered: “Yes, not too bad... As you said, neither pregnant woman nor any distressed pups needed my assistance, so I was able to rest well.” She opened her eyes, and the demon noticed that sleep was still hazing the beautiful turquoise of her gaze. He spoke gently: “It is still early, my miko. If you wish, you may rest some more.” She seemed to ponder his offer, looking out the small window. She frowned slightly, her senses slowly coming back to her: “You are right; it is still quite early, the sun as yet to fully rise. If the lazy bastard is still in bed, why shouldn’t I be...” She saw him chuckle at her comment, before she continued: “Where is everyone? We are alone in the hut...”

The demon lord’s face returned to his stoic mask as he spoke: “It seems that my aura flared while I was visiting your dream. It has scared them. Since it is also most likely that your aura reacted to mine, I believe that my half-brother chose to leave, to avoid risks of purification...” Her eyes widened slightly, as she remembered last night’s events. She had almost forgotten that he had been present in her dream. She felt a blush spreading across her cheeks as she also remembered that he had kissed her, and that she had not exactly protested against it.
Seeing her blush, a playful gleam seemed to dance across the demon lords eyes. He was careful not to move his tail from under her arm; he lay down next to her. As she was slightly curled to her side, he easily spooned her, feeling her back pressed on his chest. She stiffened under his touch, but he knew that she would get used to it. He slithered an arm around her waist and nuzzled his face in the nape of her neck, taking in her delicious scent. He knew that she was still tired and though had slept a fair amount of time; she needed more before departing the small village. He let his chest rumble a deep growl, and just as the previous day, he felt her relax until becoming almost like a ragdoll in his arms. He smirked internally, his chest puffing in pride. He enjoyed her scent. It seemed to sooth him, and he found it extremely satisfying that he could bring her some comfort as well. He whispered in her hair: “Sleep my miko, I will not let anything disturb you in your slumber.” His words were as an incantation to her, as she felt herself surrender once more to peaceful sleep.

The sun woke her, and she cursed internally. She was comfortable, more so than she had felt in years. She was held closely to a warm chest, and was surrounded by softness. Her mind snapped back to consciousness when she suddenly realized whose chest was pressing against her back. She felt a strong, muscular arm around her, holding her at the waist. Her hands were coiled in his soft fur. She felt his warm, regular breath on the back of her neck. Though startled, she was not afraid. She had never allowed anyone to get this close to her willingly. Though he had not exactly asked permission, she did not want to push him away. She felt safe and protected in his arms, as if some part of her knew that not only would he never harm her, nor would he let any harm fall upon her. ‘As long as I am in his debt, as long as I am his... but what of when my debt is repaid?...’ She couldn’t help but wonder, a strange sense of nostalgia come upon her. Nevertheless, she had every intention to enjoy the current situation she was in.

She felt the demon lord stir behind her: “Good morning, my miko. I trust you have slept well and are comfortable, since you do not seem in a rush to get up...” His words had the desired effect, as from his vantage point, he could see the tip of her ears now turning a deep shade of pink, and he knew that the rest of her face was surely that colour. She started to open her mouth to apologize, but was interrupted by the demon lord as he spoke: “No need to apologize, my miko. I appreciated every instant of having you in my arms.” He then uncoiled his arm from around her and started getting up, straightening his kimono as he did. He noticed the groggy miko do the same and smiled, as he had already figured out that she was not a morning person. As she was doing so, her kimono top slid slightly, revealing the black lace of her bra.

Sesshoumarou frowned slightly, before asking: “My miko, what fabric in your inner kimono made out of? I have traveled many places and have never seen something like this.” Sakura was puzzled for an instant, as she was not wearing an inner kimono. Her miko garb was not one of these elaborate kimonos that required complex and tasteful layering. She quickly peaked inside her clothes to see what he was referring to and turned red as a beet. She did not think that feudal Japan had lace, and his question would most likely bring more: “It is lace, lord Sesshoumarou.” As he frowned, she knew she was in for more questioning from the demon lord. He had too many to ask all at the same time, but started: “Where does it come from?” She was almost relieved as this one was an easy one: “It comes from Europe.” Once again, he frowned, as her answer only generated more questions in his mind. He filed them all, as he was curious as to why his original question had made her blush.

He continued: “I have never seen a miko wear an inner kimono, is this something unique to your shrine?” She had thought that throwing something like Europe into the conversation would actually get him off the topic of her brassiere... She was wrong. She sighed as she answered: “It is not an inner kimono per say... It is more like an undergarment.” She hopped that would end the questions. Was she ever wrong... Raising an eyebrow, he asked: “What is the purpose of this undergarment?” Tossing the last bit of her dignity out the window, she simply said: “It is something women wear to keep their breasts in place. It is more comfortable when you are very active then having them flopping around.” She then undid her top slightly to uncover her large breasts hidden in the black lace. Though they were covered, the demon lord could imagine them bare, and found the thought genuinely arousing.

If he had any less self control, he would have had a nosebleed from looking at her. He felt like a pup wanting to suckle. He wanted to look away but was mesmerized. ‘We want to touch...’ his beast whimpered ‘quiet, we are not touching. She does not want to be touched. She will not trust us if we just grope her every chance we get.’ He answered, as calmly as he could. ‘But they are so desirable, we want to free them from that flimsy fabric and touch them, lick them, suckle them...’ the beast purred ‘Enough, you lecher. You act as if you had never seen a female before.’ Sesshoumarou answered, chastising his beast ‘We’ve never seen a female that had that effect on us, and that we could both agree on...’ his beast answered. On that note, Sesshoumarou could not argue with his beast, as he did find the woman before him incredibly attractive. He felt that she embodied perfection in more ways than one.

He finally was able to tear his eyes from her perfect breasts back to her face, and was once again reminded in a mortifying way that she could hear his thoughts, as she was looking to the ground and her cheeks were nearly purple from blushing. He saw that she was clearly uncomfortable with the exchange that had taken place. He internally cursed at his beast, and all he got as an answer from it was a deep, husky chuckle. He lowered his eyes before saying: “You seem to have quite an effect on my beast, my miko.” As she was pulling her top back on, she answered: “I heard...” He sighed deeply before continuing: “You seem to have quite an effect on me as well.” She looked up at him surprised and lost for words. He spoke, as the speechless miko was clearly flabbergasted: “There is something quite exceptional about you. I have not quite figured it out. You have a presence that is not natural, a presence that has an almost ethereal quality to it. Also, you carry a wisdom that few have. Despite your young age, you are already what most would consider a sage, and yet carry the innocence and purity that one would see in younger pups. There is also that scent of yours...” He trailed of, having said more than what he wanted.

She finally snapped out of her daze and moved towards the demon lord, and placed a hand on his chest, feeling his heart beating. She smiled softly before saying: “I have lived the majority of my life in a perpetual nightmare, days and nights, plagued by pain and suffering. I have known you for such a short amount of time, and yet you were able to bring me comfort like none before. Perhaps our paths were meant to cross, so that I may guide you and assist you in your quest, as well as assist you in falling in love with your soul mate, and so you may guide me towards trusting others...” Her voice trailed as she had spoken her mind in a way she had never before. People from her time had always found her thought process odd, and though she lived on a shrine, her fellow mikos always found her attitude towards fate disconcerting. It had been easier to blame all her suffering on fate and karma than think that she had actually done something to deserve all the woes that had befallen on her life.

Sesshoumarou nodded as he agreed with what she said. Just as he had felt the seedlings of change rooting within him, he could see that she was undergoing a similar process. Pride shone in his eyes, as he felt proud or ‘his miko’ for such insightful thinking, as he spoke: “I agree with you, my miko. I believe that both our karmas were ready for this, and the gods must have placed us on each other’s path for a reason. I do believe that we both have something to gain from each other’s presence.”

Sakura smiled at him. She was glad that for once, she had spoken her mind and not been looked at as though she came
from another planet. Determination shone in her eyes as she spoke: “Well, now that this subject is settled, where do we start? We won’t find your soul mate by just standing around in this hut...”

Sesshoumarou nodded, impressed by her enthusiastic approach to what he saw as a daunting task. His eyes grew slightly darker as he spoke: “We will first have to head to my castle, as I have duties to attend to and ensure that all runs smoothly while we are gone on our quest.” An even bigger smile shone on her face as she spoke: “That’s great!” she squealed. As she saw the puzzle on his face, she continued: “Think about it, lord Sesshoumarou... Isn’t it logical that your mate would be amongst the powerful demons of your society... for all we know, you might already be acquainted with your soul mate and not know it... Your castle is a great starting point, as it is your domain, and where you will be most comfortable.” He saw that her eyes held a calculating glow to them. She was already planning the following steps. Sesshoumarou held a strong appreciation for strategists, and wanted to see how her mind works as he spoke: “My miko, I would love to know what is going through your mind at the current time.”

She looked up at him, torn from her thoughts. She regained her composure as she spoke: “What I was thinking is that your castle is your domain, therefore your zone of comfort. It is always easier to win a battle in known grounds.” She started pacing in the small room, trying to word her explanation in images that he could easily relate to. She knew that he was highly intelligent, but some of the concepts she was trying to relay were abstract and she wasn’t certain as to how she should word it. She didn’t want it to sound like a simple game of conquest, but she knew that currently, it was the best analogy. She continued her monologue, the demon lord’s eyes never leaving her: “We need to get this female in your territory, so that she is the one off balance. This will give you the home field advantage.”

He frowned slightly as he spoke: “And how do we lure this female into my territory, my miko?” She chuckled slightly at the question as she answered: “The same way we lure any prey, with an incentive... a prize... something that could not be refused.” Her gaze was now fixed on him, and he saw a predatory glow in them. Sesshoumarou narrowed his eyes as he spoke: “This Sesshoumarou is not a piece of meat to be exposed, and is certainly not a prey, my miko.” His answer made her chuckle, and if she had not been in such a strange setting, she probably would have roared with laughter. She answered: “It is not what I meant, lord Sesshoumarou. I was thinking about something more formal, such as a ball, as an excuse to invite the available woman to your castle. Surely your reputation would ensure the presence of all available females from the country...” She knew that by throwing in a little flattery, she would be off the hook. He slowly nodded, before answering: “This could indeed be a good idea, in order to get the female in my domain.”

She smiled at the fact that he liked her idea. She answered: “From what I recall, it is not uncommon to hold festivities at this time of the year, to celebrate the fall equinox. Is it not?” The demon lord nodded and asked: “Do you not think to informal an event to actually meet and courtship such an important person?” She smiled warmly, as her eyes still held that predatory glow and answered: “On the contrary, lord Sesshoumarou, if your intended does not expect to be courted at that period, the more vulnerable she will be to your advances, and the more likely will you succeed in your quest.” The words she spoke rand truth in the demon lords’ mind. Though the strategy was fairly simple, he knew that it had potential. As though her mind was following his, she said: “Besides, it will be easier than going, knocking on each of the lords and ladies doors trying to find an available female. If the ball fails, then we will rethink our strategy.” He had to admit that she was very efficient. He had to go back to his castle one way or another, and planning a ball would not be so energy consuming. It was an efficient way for him to get acquainted with many females in a short amount of time. He liked her strategy.

He nodded before saying: “Very well, we will leave before mid-day. Less than half days walk away from here, I own a piece of land, where a very talented demon raises my personal stallions. We will go to him so you may be provided with one that suits your needs.” He saw her eyes glimmer with joys, as her face lit with joy. ‘She seems to like horses’ he thought to himself. He made a mental note of the fact, and also noted to ask if all females had a positive disposition towards that particular beast. He had magnificent stables, both where they were headed today and in his castle. A part of him was glad that she enjoyed these animals, as he was afraid that she might become restless in the castle while he was tending to his duties. Having a horse of her own would ensure her entertainment for at least a few hours per day.

Seeing how excited she was, he then said: “If you would like, we could make arrangements to leave earlier...” Her squeal hurt his sensitive ears, and the only reason he forgave her was because he knew that she had not done it on purpose. He smiled as, at this exact moment, she looked exactly like his ward Rin, as innocent and pure, happy with such a simple thing as seeing hoses. Her eyes grew wide in excitement as she said: “I would most certainly like so... Thank you, lord Sesshoumarou.” She stepped up to him and, wrapping her arms around his neck, brought him down to her level before placing a chaste kiss upon his lips.

*****

A/N: Well, that is it for today folks, next update coming soon, filled with animal cuteness and mild lemons (pleasant ones...)