Love: Lost and Found

Chapter 7- The Voice Silenced Lady Tigressa- woo! Thank you, AGAIN! ^_^ Rachi- the chicken story intrigues me... I shall have to use that on my friends one day! ^_^ hehehe. Kams- hehe, thank you so much! Knowing that I write well means a lot to me, lol. I'm considering being an English/Literature major, woo! Skanky-Hime- im not sure... good point! maybe because... she never had a real family for a long time, and never learned proper social skills? ^_^ lol yeh, that works! Lol. And sorry everybody, I just went back through all the chapters and noticed a lot of grammar mistakes, lol ^_^;. When I re-read the chapters I'm usually speed reading so I can get them out faster and I miss a lot of the mistakes. I'll start taking my time now, lol. ^_^ I screwed some sentences up pretty bad in earlier chapters hehe. O well. I hope you guys are liking it! ^_^ oh, hit over 1900 hits now, almost 2000!! Woo, go me! ... *"I hoped so," he whispered, just loud enough for her to hear, then took up her hand in his. He brought it slowly to his lips, shining eyes never leaving Kagome's. He let his lips skim down part of her finger, touching ever so gently, then placed a kiss in the center of the back of her hand.* ... Kagome blushed furiously. Sesshomaru stood straight up again, his cheeks tinged the lightest of pinks. 'Demon Lords do not blush!' Kagome offered her arm and Sesshomaru took it. They walked, arms linked traditionally between the demon lord and miko, leaving her rumpled towel behind without a thought. What an odd couple, people must think. The cruel and cold Lord of the Western Lands and a humble miko woman. They walked silently for some time, each enjoying the sights and smells of the garden. Both were too nervous to say much to each other, and Kagome's face seemed permanently stained into a blush. After a while longer, keeping a slow and steady pace, Sesshomaru halted. "There is something I'd like to show you." Kagome looked up at him. "Hm?" "Follow me," he said softly, letting his strong-arm slide out from Kagome's. He took a few steps forward and slid a large rock aside. Now that it had moved, a faint sound of water could be heard. Kagome came to stand next to him. A hole went into the ground, where the boulder had been. Sesshomaru, with a quick glance at Kagome, leapt down into the hole. Kagome let a small noise of fright escape her as she watched him float effortlessly down to the bottom. "Jump," he called upwards, his voice echoing in the chamber below. "Nuh uh!" she said, frightened. Without demonic powers she would most surely fall and break something, most likely her neck. "I'll catch you." "No way!" she began to tremble slightly. She thought she heard Sesshomaru growl, but then he leapt back up. He snatched her waist, not all to gentle, and hugged her to him, then leapt back down. As soon as he released her she gasped. They seemed to be in a complicated system of underground caves, caverns leading in every direction. There was a small waterfall trickling from the direction of the hot springs, the water steamed an abnormal amount for a waterfall. 'It must be a hot waterfall, coming off of the springs,' she deducted. Sesshomaru watched her curiously. After looking around for a few minutes, Kagome turned to him again. "How did you find this? It's amazing!" "When my father had the house being built, I decided to wander around a bit while he watched his men build. I was but a boy, perhaps seventeen, I think. The entrance hole was but a tiny crevice, but I opened it more and found this place. It's quite unusual, isn't it?" he asked. Kagome nodded. "The waterfall comes directly from the springs, I also discovered. The pool beneath it works very well as my private spring." "Why are you showing me all of this, Sesshomaru?" she asked softly, dark eyes large in this dim light. He looked away from her big innocent eyes for a moment, they were too much. "You are different, Kagome. Different from many - all - females I have ever encountered," he said quietly, almost a whisper. "I have been searching for something different all my life, but never knew quite what it was. At first I believed it to be that jewel that my brother yearns so desperately for, but then I realized I was wrong. My different 'something' was not something I could own or wish upon. I had to find it. I believe I found it quite a few years ago, when you freed the Tetsusaiga from its tomb within my father's grave-" "Sessho-" "Let me finish," he said after raising a gentle hand. "I had despised you at that time, for doing something I could not, but a year or so of thinking had me assured: you were different.... I cannot it explain it well any further. I hope that you might understand my meaning...," he sighed. He couldn't explain it, not for the life of him. Kagome was different, and that's why he loved her, but he couldn't put it like that, not now, at least. Kagome looked at him blankly for a moment, then nodded. She sort-of understood. Enough to know that Sesshomaru was attracted to her, and it was definitely more than a crush. She looked at him, his silver hair and golden eyes glowing faintly in the semi-dark. Maybe, just maybe, she could fall in love again. She grinned. "What's the smile for?" he noticed. She shook her head, blush still tainting her fair-skinned cheeks. 'Her blush... it is... what is that child's word? Oh, yes, "cute"' he thought briefly. "Oh, nothing!" Kagome said laughing, flustered. Sesshomaru eyed her suspiciously. Sesshomaru took a short breath. "If ever you are in trouble, and I am not present, these caves run underneath much of Japan. I have guards or servants check them everyday," he said. "How will I know how to find one of the entrances?" Kagome questioned, a bit taken aback at this fact and that Sesshomaru would actually tell her such a valuable piece of information. "We'll have to go back up. Come," he ordered, holding out a clawed hand. Kagome took a step closer and took his hand, lacing her fingers in between his. The inuyoukai watched as her thin fingers went between his, how they - even though her fingers seemed so small to his - fit nearly perfectly in the creases of his own. He slipped his other hand around her waist and jumped, landing softly on the grass above. He shoved the boulder back into place and knelt down next to it. He pointed to three purple stripes at the rock's base. "There. I've marked the stones with my stripes. Only those who I wish to see the marks will see them, Kagome. There are many of them, but they are not everywhere. Hopefully you will never be in such trouble that you have to use them," he said standing up. This was all sort of random and odd to Kagome, but she was attentive and stored the information away nonetheless. "Shall we return? Lunch will be served soon, I believe," he stated. "Sure," Kagome smiled, her blush beginning to wear away as she slowly became comfortable with the demon lord. They walked more comfortably now, though their arms were not linked anymore. They talked idly, Sesshomaru quite proud of himself for being able to make such small talk and being able to make Kagome smile and laugh occasionally. He was getting better at it, that's for sure. He adored her laugh, though. It rang through the perfumed air with clear bursts, sounding like music to Sesshomaru's pointed ears. He yearned to hear it constantly, even if it was only a short, small laugh or a girlish giggle. Kagome was beginning to perceive him as funny, now. She enjoyed it too. InuYasha had always been so serious, and Sango and Miroku were always either bickering or off in the bushes.... Shippo had been her only source of entertainment, but he only made kid jokes. Sesshomaru's mature and humorous observations delighted Kagome. She was thoroughly enjoying herself, and all to soon they arrived back at the large home. Sesshomaru looked to the sun. "We have about less than an hour until lunch," he said, judging the sun's position in the sky. Kagome nodded, and Sesshomaru opened the door to the house for her, being a gentleman. She grinned and walked through. Sesshomaru couldn't help but watch her back end as she walked past him. He was surprised when no contradicting voice inside his head protested. Sesshomaru then came to walk next to her, directing the way to their rooms. A few minutes later Sesshomaru opened the door for again, leading her into his chambers. Kagome entered them with a smile, inviting herself to plop down upon his poufy and squishy couch. Sesshomaru watched her with interest. Any other woman would have been bowing as his feet and kissing them for letting her enter his room. Kagome had all ready invited herself to stretch upon his couch. Ah, but Kagome was different. Her still-damp hair was thrown up into a messy bun, which in Sesshomaru's opinion seemed rather appealing and attractive. With a sigh he walked to his tall armoire and opened it. One of the doors had a special place for his armor and shoes. He slid off the spiked shoulder guard and his multi-plated black chest and waist armor. His clothes now flowed freely without restraint, also adding to him not looking so intimidating. Kagome liked him with out all of his fighting gear. He finished by placing his fighting blade in with his armor, but he always kept the Tensaiga with him. It would never leave his side, not willingly anyway. His tall form strode easily towards her. He sat next to her, but not too close. Kagome slowly scooted a bit closer. "How's your hand?" she asked gently, stopping the awkward silence that had been pending. "Hm? Oh, yes. It feels as if nothing ever happened," he said, raising his hand so they could both examine it. Kagome took it from the space between them and brought it closer to her face, looking it over again. That reminded her... "How has your arm been doing?" she remembered. He grinned, it was a great memory. Kagome noticed him smiling. "Wonderful, Miko. Though the muscles I do not think have fully recovered from a year of not being used, but it is certainly better than not having an arm." "Oh, I can fix the muscles also, if you like!" Kagome grinned, pulling her knees up underneath her, getting comfortable if she was going to use her miko powers. Sesshomaru raised an eyebrow. "You can do that?" he asked. "Yes, of course! The only reason it didn't happen initially was because then my powers weren't as trained and we had been traveling a lot that day. Here, hand me your arm," she said. Most females - no, no females - would never have said anything to Lord Sesshomaru in such a way that it was almost an order. Yet Sesshomaru allowed her, without even a flash of anger. He knew that all of her intentions were for what she believed to be good. He edged closer to her. She also moved closer, then grabbed a gentle hold on his arm and rolled up his flowing sleeve. He had very finely toned muscles, making Kagome's insides squirm with approval. She could definitely get used to living here. She nervously wrapped her fingers around his forearm and the other hand went to his powerful shoulder. Sesshomaru could feel her nervousness, but also her approval for him. While she concentrated on his arm, he smiled down at her dark head, her fingers pleasing to his skin. Focussing all her energies into his arm, she sent the pink glow from her hands into his skin. The miko powers took over then and entered the youkai's flesh, calculating time versus muscle use. In a moment the muscles bulged slightly underneath the skin, returning to their past strength. Kagome's eyes widened as he became even more well toned. Even after fully returning Sesshomaru to normal, she held onto his arm tightly, as if she were afraid to let it go. Sesshomaru looked down at her. "Thank you." He pulled his arm out from her grasp gently and tested it, raising the Tensaiga in it, testing its weight. Back to normal. A smirk twitched across his lips when he discovered Kagome still staring longingly at his arm. He returned the Tensaiga to his belt and rolled his sleeve back down. He cleared his throat and repeated himself. "Thank you." "Oh! Um, yes! I mean - you're welcome!" she stuttered, blushing again. Sesshomaru, caught by a sudden fit of urge by her cute blush, grabbed her arm this time. He looked longingly into her eyes. Kagome was caught by surprise, but she looked at him in the way he seemed to be looking at her. She nudged her head forward ever so slightly, and Sesshomaru took his opportunity. He rushed his face to hers in a heartbeat, but when their lips came in contact it was soft and inviting. Sesshomaru gently slid a hand behind her neck as he opened his mouth a bit wider, tongue gently pushing against her lips. She parted her own lips, eager to feel his heated tongue against hers. When they met, it was gentle and experimental. Neither had done this sort of thing very much, and neither were exceptionally skilled, but well enough. When their tongues had greeted each other politely, they then began a bit of squabble, fighting, almost playfully, for dominance. Neither gained the position, but instead they took turns feeling and rubbing around each others' mouths, getting used to their feels. This carried on for a while, until a knock came from the door, causing them both to jump and spring away from each other.