Yokai Heart 1

Ilia groaned at her uncles stubborn nature.
"When are you gonna grow up and ASK for Directions?!"
Scar simply scoffed.

Ilia sighed and moved to a coffee table at the nearby shop and began speaking to a young man who had long black hair and a baseball cap and engaged in leisurely conversation.  She found out that although the boy, who had the oddest name of Inuyasha, could tell her where she was, he had no idea where her home was. So then, since he was cute and neither of them had anything better to do, they began to discuss family. Ilia ranted about her stubborn uncle, and Inuyasha about his jerk of a brother, whom he even went so far as to deem a "demon".

"Come on, now! You cant possibly hate him that much. He's not a demon!"

"I can and he is."

Just then, another young man with long silver hair walked up behind Inuyasha.

"Little brother.... what lies have you spewed about me THIS. TIME?"

"Little brother my ass! And I wasn't- OUCH!"

Ilia watched the other one as he whacked Inuyasha with a book that Ilia recognized as a book on alchemy.

"You are in the presence of a lady, Inuyasha. Politeness would do you a world of good." The young man sighed at Inuyasha and turned to Ilia.

"Oh, I'm sorry, I'm Ilia. Pleasure to meet you." Ilia said, standing, though she was unsure why she was apologizing...

"Sesshomaru. The pleasure is mine. And please, pardon my ruffian sibling," Sesshomaru stopped to glare, "INU. YA-SHA."

"It's nothing. Pardon my asking, but do you know where this place is?" She asked, holding up an old map of Amestris. Sesshomaru looked at it, and gave an almost nonexistent, sorry smile as he handed it back.

"Sorry. I don't know of it."

Ilia gave an understanding nod. "That's okay. see you around guys!"

Inuyasha waited until Ilia was out of earshot before turning to Sesshomaru.

"YOU LIKE HER!!!"

Sesshomaru shot Inuyasha a stern glare and thwacked him with the book again, before turning away.

"Your hanyou blood is making you insane, Inuyasha."
--------------------------


And with that, Ilia ran off,  trying to find someone. Anyone who could tell her how to get home.

However, come evening, she had no leads.

Arriving upon the pre-decided meeting place, Ilia spied her uncle against a street lamp, glaring at the sky.

"Find anything?" He asked, not looking up.

"No, but maybe if you'd HELPED ME AND ASKED AROUND we could be on our way home by now. God you're stubborn!"

Scar glared at her, but at the same time, he looked up to the sky, having heard an unearthly wail above him, and then something slashed into his shoulder.

"UNCLE!"

Ilia shrieked and the immense black creature, which to her, seemed like an enormous vulture with a snake for a head, turned its attention to her.

" WIND SCAR!!!! BLADES OF BLOOD!!!!"

"TENSAIGA! BAKUSAIGA!"

Scar and Ilia watched in awe as four separate attacks left the snake vulture crumbling in bits of ash in the wind.

Touching down lightly in front of him, Scar watched a young boy with silver hair and gold eyes smirk.

"Better get that arm looked at pops."

"How many times am I going to have to tell you to Be POLITE?!"

"You're wastin' your breath, brother. It ain't happenin."

Recognition lit Ilia's face as she recognized the voices, even though the two people before her wore completely different clothes, not to mention the younger boy's silver hair, dog ears, and the elder's strange facial markings.

"Inuyasha! Sesshomaru!"

Ilia called out to them, was prepared to assault them with questions, but, as she moved to do so, Inuyasha disappeared, and Sesshomaru gave a slight smirk, before disappearing as well. It left Ilia wondering if she had even seen them in the first place.

Scar groaned as he inspected the gash on his arm, and snapped Ilia out of her reverie.

"What. the HELL. Was THAT!?" he asked the heavens. He was pissed now. Very, very pissed.

Ilia shushed him.
"Uncle!" she said, for once, nervous instead of fuming. "Don't shout! There might be more of those..... whatever that thing was... And I don't know about you, but I'd rather not run into any more."

Inspecting the wound on Scars arm, Ilia sighed in relief, noting that the gash wasn't deep.

Hovering above her uncle, she ripped a part of her sleeve and wrapped it, before noting a cleverly disguised mess of silver down the street. Making sure she had seen it, and that her uncles arm was tended adequately, she ran off, toward the gleam.

"INUYASHA! INUYASHA COME BACK!"
But the silver gleam didn't come back. it took off faster than Ilia could follow, even with her long legs, and disappeared into an old well house and a shrine, labeled "HIGURASHI".

"INUYASHAAA!!!"

She tore into the abandoned well house, and, seeing the young boy was nowhere to be found, inspected around the deep well.

"Inuyashaaaa! I just wanted to say thank you! What was that thing? Dammit, say some thiiiiiiiiiiiing!!!!" She screeched, as she tripped. her bum landed right smack on the lip of the well, and she thanked her lucky stars she hadn't fallen.

"ILIA!"

Startled by her uncles angry roar, Ilia leaned too far backwards, and just as her uncle spied her, she fell headfirst into the well.

Deciding quickly that he had no alternative, Scar quickly jumped down after her, expecting to be immersed in cold, icy water. instead, he was plunged into a world of dust, and, oddly enough, a number of butterflies and green plants. From the looks of it, he had landed next to his niece in a grassy field, where the remains of an old well barely stood. before them, was a young man with strange markings on his face and a younger one with pointy little dogs ears.

Ilia stirred and Scar shook her awake, gaze not leaving the two men before him.
Ilia's eyes opened slowly, as if from a dream, and then shot open wide as she got a look at her surroundings. Then, she saw Sesshomaru in the sunlight.

'That...' She thought, 'Is the most beautiful creature to ever live...'

"Sesshomaru! Inuyasha!" she cried, happy to see them, "Thanks for saving us! I thought we were toast when that thing attacked us!"

Inuyasha grinned, though Sesshomaru seemed confused.

"Toast?" he asked. "What's that?"


Ilia could only chuckle to herself at the antics of Inuyasha, and his endless and rather successful attempts at irritating Sesshomaru ( although he couldn't see it, due to Sesshomaru's reign over his outward appearance). She was fairly sure Sesshomaru was going to thwack him over the head with anything handy in a minute, and if he didn't, more power to him; She and her uncle Scar definitely didn't have the patience to put up with what he was putting up with. Not even for a fraction of the 24 hours he had spent pointedly ignoring Inuyasha.

Speaking of Scar, he was sulking, his distrust of the Yokai brothers evident across his face. However, as they waited outside of a thatched roof hut, a steady, melodious humming came from within, and his attention was drawn from the brothers to the young, petite miko by the name of Rasha. She set meals before them, and gave an explanation of exactly where they were to Scar and Ilia.

"F-Feudal... Japan? I thought this place was a fairy-tale!" Ilia muttered to herself, and Scar, silent as always, nodded his agreement.
_______________

Inuyasha had had an epiphany. Granted, it was a rare thing, having an epiphany, for any one, let alone the impulsive hanyou. However, it was not a wise epiphany.

He had seen, or thought he had seen, a familiar glint in his brothers eye that had reminded him of the look Miroku used to get around Sango. Inuyasha thought his big brother was crushing on the young woman that had followed them through the well.

He was determined to make Sesshomaru see that even stuck up YOKAI lords could feel and even love. And he was gonna stop at nothing. NO- Thing. Until he proved that fact.
However, he had his own inner turmoil to deal with first.  Kagome was dead. Sango was dead. Kikyou had been dead. And now Miroku and any other humans Inuyasha had known previously were dead too. He was lonely as hell, and he had nothing to do with himself. Sure, making his brother's life a living hell was fun in its own right, but he needed something else-- some One else to preoccupy him. Rasha had suggested that he go exploring the ruins of Kaede's village; perhaps he would find something to ease his troubles. Still, he got the feeling that Rasha would prefer him gone any way she could get him gone. He didn't let it bother him anymore though.

SO, after he had had his fill of annoying the hell out of both Sesshomaru and Scar, he excused himself and took off for the village.
_________________________
Scar hated the situation. He hated every waking minute of it. He hated that annoying kid with the dog ears. And he hated the kids brother even more, and his hatred only grew when he noticed the way he kept eying over his only living relative- his niece. It grew even further when she started sending him googly eyed puppy love "OMG You are so my soul-mate" looks, to which the girl had given others. Scar actually "che'd" when the younger had left. He hated the fact that he had left Scar and Ilia with Sesshomaru. How he hated Sesshomaru. Oh how he already hated and despised and couldn't wait to disem-- BOWEL Sesshomaru.

"Excuse me, Mr. Scar-san? Could you come inside for a moment? My great grandmother would like to speak with you." Said Rasha, beckoning him to come into the hut. Scar wasn't one to disappoint an old woman, but he really was against leaving Sesshomaru and Ilia alone. Oh how he loathed it....
-----------------------------

Ilia sighed in relief as Scar finally left, and she moved to sit beneath a large Japanese maple tree some distance away, far enough so that Scar wouldn't see her unless he followed, and Sesshomaru trailed silently behind her, not about to leave her alone in these yokai infested lands.

'Yeah, like he'd want to protect ME unless he had to... something that handsome? Get real, Ilia.' She scolded herself. But then, just what about her hellish life had ever seemed real or normal to her? Nothing. Nothing at all.
--------------------------------

Sesshomaru studied her, and her avid desire to distance herself from her overprotective uncle. Sesshomaru knew the man couldn't stand him, already, but he didn't blame the man. Leaving something beautiful, and delicate like her alone with someone of his countenance? Of course Scar-san would be suspicious. But this Sesshomaru would not sully himself by becoming overly acquainted with a human.... would he? Rin suddenly entered his mind, and Sesshomaru's pride was knocked down a peg. Yes. He would become overly acquainted with a human. He had done it before, and had not regretted it, until his little Rin had left for Kagome's time for something called a hospital, becoming ill with something even he could not cure, and his healing sword would not heal her again. He had spent many years in mourning after that. But, drawing himself to he present, he had seated himself across from the woman, who had such brilliantly white hair, Sesshomaru wondered if she was a youkai in human guise. But no. She smelled human. Her red eyes and silver hair though, intrigued him.

"...." he did not know what to say to her. but he felt the need to speak, or say something to ease the growing tension.  She looked up and smiled at him, and Sesshomaru fought the urge to look down at his chest, to see what had made it feel so constricted.

"Pardon if I'm being rude, or overly... something..." she said to him. "But I really truly believe that you are the most handsome thing to ever walk this earth."

Caught off guard, Sesshomaru allowed himself to gawk at her. No one. Not even his most admiring female subjects had ever been brave enough to address him as she had. He felt obliged to return her favor, and be truthful about what he thought of her. But something made him hesitate. Why should he? She was merely human. What did he care what she thought of his looks?

But she had been so bold. Not even his youkai subjects had such audacity.  Didn't that in itself deserve something?

"You are also beautiful. Let no one tell you otherwise." he said, trying to keep his voice low and flat as was his per usual tone. He had a feeling though, that he had a bit more red on his cheeks than just the markings, and it was far more than he cared to admit. Still, he eyed her steadily, ignoring his obvious giveaway, as she had turned from her normal deep tanned color, to that of the reddish tree bark behind her head.

"T-thank you, Sesshomaru-san... Really, I... I don't know what to say..."

"Then say nothing, and let your actions speak for you." He replied, giving her the only piece of advice he had ever really followed in his life. He had always let his actions define him, and he was never really one for communicating. Ilia nodded.

"I'll remember that when my uncle tries to kill you for complimenting me." She giggled.

"Does he need to know?" Sesshomaru scoffed. If there was one person, besides Inuyasha that Sesshomaru didn't want to deal with, it was her uncle.

"Well, I guess not." She chuckled. "Has anyone ever told you that you have a way with words? One that makes some hate you, and others fall at your feet?"

"None that have lived to tell about it."

Ilia gave a startled "EEP!" as Sesshomaru shot her a warning glance.

"But I suppose that is the case. Has anyone ever told you that you are quite... danger prone?"

"Y-yeah, and all of them lived to warn others its a bad idea to bring it up."

Sesshomaru glanced at her again curiously.

"And why is that?"

Ilia changed the subject.

"…. All of my previous boyfriends have tried to kill me at least once."

"At least? How many times did one man attack you?"

"My last one tried 3 times."

"And yet you did not leave him?" All of the talk about how humans were supposed to marry for love that Rin had told him was completely contradicting what this woman was saying!

"Oh, of course I left. He... didn't take rejection well. Lets put it that way."

"This Sesshomaru wonders how it is that you lived this long."
------------------------------------------

Scar was impatient to hurry up and finish speaking with Rasha's grandmother.

"You need to let her. Scar-san." said the old woman, causing Scar to look at her sharply, in confusion.

"Let her? Let her what?"

"You must let her live her own life. You cannot watch over her forever. Your niece is in love with the daiyokai's eldest son. He will provide for her."

"They JUST MET EACHOTHER!"

"I  know.  But a miko like myself just knows these things."

"Miko or not, she's the only family I have left!"

"And you hers. Do you think she doesn't know this? She knows, and she values you, but you CAN NOT RULE HER LIFE. No matter how you care for your young niece. And besides that, she's good for Sesshomaru. He needs her. Things will be alright, Scar. Try to trust them."


------------------------------------

Ilia gave an indignant squeak at Sesshomaru's blatant insult to her own capabilities.

"I'm surprised you can even function in society, with an attitude like that!" she snapped. Sesshomaru regarded her with only slightly widened eyes.

"You surprise me. Not many dare speak to me in such a manner. Those who do, do not live."

Ilia's breath caught in her throat, and her fear, seeping through every one of her pores, made Sesshomaru blanch, and he hurriedly corrected himself before she began to hyperventilate.

"today, however, you are to be the exception."

He heard the silent breath as she exhaled, and he was sure she could feel the Youkai aura pouring off of him, and he had the urge to assure her that he would not harm her person.

"Guess I should be grateful then."

"Hn."
__________________________________________________________________________________

Jakken eyed his lord from a distance, noting his interactions with the young human woman. He noticed how her mannerisms, though more mature, reminded him of his lords young charge, Rin, who had left for the modern era of the Miko that traveled with the hanyou some time ago.  It had been almost a century, and the young child still had not left Sesshomaru's thoughts.



Ilia couldn't help but stare. His face belied no emotion, but his eyes.... his eyes held every emotion his body language lacked, and the sheer swirling intensity of it made it more impossible to decipher than his face.

".... What does a youkai think about?"

"....  Things that will benefit the youkai, if the youkai has any sense."

"... that sounds an awful lot like the humans I used to know. They never cared who they hurt, as long as they benefited."

"Some youkai are like that.... however, should that sort ever cross my path, that youkai shall not live."

"Now you sound like my uncle, when he talks about anyone wanting to hurt me."

"Scar-san is not someone I would like to have angry with me. Human he may be, but that man.... he would strike fear in the heart of even Naraku." Sesshomaru internally shuddered at the thought of Scar, with a blade in hand. Hell. That man struck fear into Sesshomaru!

"Who?" Ilia asked, sitting up a bit more to look at him intensely, and also to have an excuse to look him in the eyes.

"He is a youkai who could not be allowed to live. He was purely evil."

"Says one called a demon by all, and proud of it." Ilia muttered, still not looking away from his eyes.

"I spoke to your brother. He said you never indulged in anything save but for "purpose and functionality." Do you ever have fun?"

".... Normally, I do not." He replied, a spark igniting in his brain. He could, just to prove Inuyasha wrong, indulge for a while, but he honestly didn't find any pleasure in joining in the so called "Games" the hanyou indulged himself into so fully. Besides, such a thing was not in his nature, to be so childish as that. However … suddenly, he realized that he really didn't indulge. Ever. Curious nature began to get the better of him.

He wished to indulge, just once. Just.... just once.  He pondered it. How could he indulge?

….

And not prove that Inuyasha had gotten the better of him...

Sesshomaru was an individual who was precise, streamlined, and functional. He knew what he wanted. Most of the time. But now, without Rin to protect, and without any real enemies to crush, he was at a loss. Normally, he enjoyed cutting down those who opposed him, and found pleasure indulging in the battle. Now... he really and truly had no idea what to do with himself. And something in his deepest inner and most basic of instincts told him that he wanted the girl in front of him. He had no idea as to why, and he planned on squelching that tiny voice to the very depths of his subconscious. He couldn't really WANT a Human girl.... could he?

"What do humans do for sport?" he asked, noting that she seemed to pout at his obvious "boring-ness" as he was sure Inuyasha had called it at least once, when the two brothers weren't at each others throats.

"All sorts of things. Swimming, hiking, playing games...  Have you ever raced someone before?" She asked him, smiling. He flinched inwardly. The only time he could ever recall racing, was when he was racing against time, or something terrible would happen to his young charge, who had left him to be treated at a hospital in the Miko's time. To this day he was unsure of what had become of little Rin.

"No." he replied flatly.

"Well, in my hometown, we held an annual relay race. You had from three to seventeen people along a course, per team, and you had to get a metal rod from one person to the other, aaaaaall the way to the end, and be the first team there to win. I competed in the children's race when I was small, about seven, and had a lot of fun. Then the civil war broke out.... and the genocides."

Suddenly, Sesshomaru's heart began beating erratically. Ilia went on, not noticing.

"Entire families ripped apart based on prejudice, and the need for a so called "crest of blood" in order to create some kind of powerful rock called a philosophers stone. I lost everyone I loved, and for a time, I even thought my uncle had died. Till he found me in a roadside ditch, literally, a year after. The races were the only good memories I have of being seven years old in a world like that. I hold it dear to me."

Sesshomaru had the urge to kill whatever and whoever would dare cause such discordance as to hurt innocents. Granted, he was not pristine enough to not be charged with the same crime. He understood that his time, however, and the one she had lived in, were very different worlds. What he did, being youkai, was accepted. Expected, even. But by the tone in the young woman's voice, what had happened to her was clearly unacceptable. He fought to keep his body still and under control.

"This Sesshomaru shall take part in your.... Relay race."
  
Her smile glimmered like sunshine on the water as she beamed, radiantly.

"Thanks Sessho-san! I'll go get the teams together! Wont keep ya waiting!"

And with that she had darted back to the hut with the others and Sesshomaru was being sent to fetch his irritating hanyou brother, Inuyasha.
_______________

When Sesshomaru finally began to approach Inuyasha, he had still not been able to identify the scent that the hanyou had with him. It was the scent of another hanyou, he knew that much, and the hanyou was female, not yet of age. Sesshomaru wondered who the child was as Inuyasha scented him, and the child, now clutching his leg, whimpered as Sesshomaru's strong aura sent chills down her spine. He checked it. She knew who the dominant was here, as Sesshomaru walked up to them.

"Ilia has requested that you return to camp, little brother. She wishes you to participate in something called... a relay."

"Oh." was all Inuyasha said, before he turned to the small child. "Yume-chan, would you like to come with me and my brother?"

The small child regarded him warily, and then stared frightfully at Sesshomaru, whimpering slightly. She didn't necessarily want to go anywhere with the elder, but...

"Yume-chan does not want to be left alone, Yasha-san..." she replied, clutching at his hakama pants. Inuyasha smiled reassuringly, and hefted her into his arms, resting her weight on his hips.

"Then I guess you'll come with me then. And don't be afraid of Sesshomaru, there.  He's really just a big softie. Loves kids."

Sesshomaru rolled his eyes and began walking away from Inuyasha, silently cursing the time his brother had spent with the miko. Only she or Rin would have said something like that. Listening to his younger sibling chatter with the girl as they walked leisurely behind him, to camp, he let a smile blossom across his face. Yes. Rin would have said just exactly that.

They were tired, but Inuyasha and Scar were about to begin howling with laughter. Scar had always known his adorable, loud little niece wasn't exactly the most graceful of young women, but this... this... he couldn't even come up with the words.

Inuyasha simply couldn't believe the hilarity of the situation his brother had gotten into. His own young charge, the hanyou child Yume, had even come out of her shell enough to giggle.

Ilia and Sesshomaru on the other hand, saw no such humor.

Last leg of the race, Sesshomaru quickly making up for his teammates lack of speed and grace, and she has the audacity, the … the Nerve, to trip, and to do so directly in the middle of his path without giving him time to adequately prepare. He caught her, of course, it would be so very rude to have let her hurt herself,  but it was just his luck to trip as well, due to the unexpectedness of her flailing. That ended in them both rolling across the tall green grass until he had smacked his head into the base of Inuyasha's tree.

But that wasn't even the worst of it. Oh,  no, not by a long shot. His humiliation, and hers, went even further. Her arms had been tangled in his during the fall, her position on his person was most compromising, not to mention embarrassing, and she was connected with him at the mouth!

  ….

Had they not had an audience, he wouldn't have minded so much, as it was rather nice, but the uncontrolled sniggering of Inuyasha and his charge was not to be tolerated.

He effectively pulled away from her, determined to make sure he did not belay the desire to linger there. Because he desired it. Severely.

"Are you damaged?" he asked, his deep baritone voice flat and uncaring.

Ilia shook her head, face once again a deep cherry oak color,  red blood pulsing (in Sesshomaru's opinion) deliciously and enticingly just beneath her skin.

"Good." And with that, he helped her up. Politely, quickly, streamlined, and efficiently. Because that was who he was. Ilia was mesmerized, and Sesshomaru was frazzled himself, though he didn't show it. He'd never admit to his youngest brother that his first kiss had been stolen from him, by a human, no less, and by accident. No. Inuyasha would not know. Not now, not ever... though... Sesshomaru had a nagging feeling Inuyasha had figured already.

He couldn't stand that sniggering hanyou sometimes!
_______________________________________________

Ilia had quickly recovered herself and begged pardon to go with Rasha to the river. Her excuse, to fetch water for everyone as the day had been a scorcher, and it was just about noon. Her real reason, was the need to stop the blood from pounding to her face. True, she'd been kissed before, but never like that. She'd never felt such... well, she couldn't place it, exactly. There had been something rolling off of Sesshomaru, so thick and powerful it almost constricted her very body, almost tangible. It was like a primal instinct of his, whatever it was, and it almost... it almost seemed to hold her to him. Like he didn't want to let go.

Splashing cool water on her face, Ilia sighed, and the young miko beside her giggled softly.

"You're quite taken with master Sesshomaru, aren't you, miss Ilia?"

Ilia's head shot up and around to meet Rasha's faint smile.

"W-What!?"

Rasha looked up, and laughed.

"its all over your face. You want him."

Ilia blushed and hurriedly filled the bucket with water, getting up and heading up the trail.

"I know how you feel. Let me offer you a piece of advice though. Don't let the chance pass you by. I did."

Stopping, ilia smiled.

"You didn't miss your chance. He just wasn't the one. I cant tell you how many "Chances" I've jumped at. I admit, that man's a piece of eye candy, but... I don't know. Maybe this time I'll just let it go. I don't know."

"at least find out if he wants you. For me, okay?" Rasha pleaded.

"Uh... sure... If I can find a good way to do that..."

"You could always kiss him again."

".... I don't think so."


"Admit it. You like that girl. You reeaally reeaally like her, don'cha?"

"Shut Up Inuyasha."

"But you like her!"

"I said SHUT it, Inuyasha!"

Sesshomaru was in no mood to deal with his brother's accusations.

'even if they're true'

he stopped himself. He did Not want her. He didn't. He didn't... he...

"Dude, its all over your face. You almost closed your eyes when she kissed you today."

"she didn't kiss me. She fell."

"so you admit it was you kissing her?"

"No one kissed anyone Inuyasha. She fell on me. That's it."

"This Inuyasha thinks you're lyin, lover boy."

"This Sesshomaru dares you to say that again and see if you're not hanging in your tree by your hakama pants!"

"Touchy, touchy. Just sayin." Inuyasha laughed, dabbing his face with a damp towel. Yume was asleep in his lap.

"At least see if she likes you, ya jerk."

Sesshomaru let an unnoticeable grin slip across his face, for just a moment.

"I think I shall do that."

"So you DO like her!"

The small moment of peace had vanished, and Sesshomaru let his actions speak for him as he quickly thwacked Inuyasha over the head with the empty water bucket, and exited the hut that the two of them had built some time before Ilia and her uncle's arrival.

"Dude. You are soooo in love."

Sesshomaru almost groaned as Inuyasha followed him, yume snuggled quietly in her futon.

"I am not in love. Youkai do not love, and even still, and besides, I barely met the girl this morning."

"Smitten then." Inuyasha argued, unwilling to drop the subject. Sesshomaru could feel some foreign emotion welling in him now. Something so very close to agitation... and... embarrassment? No, that.... couldn't be.... or maybe it was. Sesshomaru was uncertain. He didn't like being uncertain. But he would not show his inner turmoil to Inuyasha of all people.

" I am Not smitten. I am not in love. Will you please just drop the subject before ringing your neck becomes more than just a fantasy?"

"You wont. She'd be mad at you, and you don't want to deal with that. Or her uncle for that matter."

"..... Her uncle.... makes me uncomfortable."

"Yeah, cause he hates your guts and he's got the temper of your mother."

"You're pushing boundaries and crossing lines here, Inuyasha. I warn you...."
Inuyasha scoffed and stepped in front of Sesshomaru before the elder could make the escape he was so desperately seeking.

"Just face it. You want her. Every time you're near her, your inner beast roars. She cant hear it, but even She can feel it. This afternoon, it almost didn't let her go. You had to force the reigns so you didn't lose control, then and there!"

Sesshomaru studied Inuyasha's face, studied the determined pout, noted the crossed arms and stance. He glared down, forcing the irritation building in himself into the depths of himself. Inuyasha just wasn't  going to leave him alone, was he?

Sesshomaru rolled his eyes and sighed, it felt good to let his irritation show through, just a little. That in itself relieved some of the stress on his nerves.

"She is attractive, and she has..."

"Spunk?" Inuyasha offered.

"She has a fiery personality. It matches those red eyes of hers."

"She has red eyes?"

"Yes. Are you blind?!" Sesshomaru asked incredulously. "How could you not notice that she and her uncle both have blood red irises??"

"Getting a little edgy, aren't we? I noticed, Sesshomaru. I just wanted to see how you'd react. Tell the truth. Having a little outburst like that feels good, doesn't it?"

"I will admit nothing of the sort."

"You're in love, brother."

"No way. Not a chance."

"heh. What you just said reminds me of that Hercules movie Kagome had us watch. Remember? 'No chance, no way, I wont say it, Get off my case I wont saaay iit!

GIRL DON'T BE PROUD!
ITS OK YOU'RE IN LOOOOOOVE!'"

"Father help me, this hanyou has a death wish..... GET BACK HERE INUYASHA!!!"
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The following morning, Ilia was up early, and tiptoed out of Rasha's hut to go down to the river. She had to find a way to get rid of those tattoos on her arms.

Stooping down to the waters edge, she sighed. She could just flay the skin off with alchemy, but it would take too long to heal. She didn't want to be incapacitated with the stinging that way. But how else would she get rid of them?
"Ilia-san?"

"Oh! Sesshomaru! Y-you scared me."

Ilia blushed. He was in the middle of the river, catching fish for the morning breakfast, and he had discarded the green turtleneck shirt he had been wearing at the bank. His pale alabaster skin reminded Ilia vaguely of some of the Amestrian boys she had seen as a child, soldiers, all of them. He was all lean muscle, and he had regarded her with a flat, but somehow coy expression. Then she realized that although his mouth was a straight line, he had noticed her staring and his eyes were roaring with laughter.

"I apologize." She could almost hear the restrained chuckle in his voice.

"I-Its OK. Listen, about yesterday, I... Um... sorry. Didn't mean to trip, and your brother probably won't let you live ... that... down for a while..."

"I do not regret what happened." he had gone back to hunting the rather large koi before him. It would make an excellent meal.

"you... You don't?"

"No. Anyone in my place who would is an idiot." The quick movement of his hands resulted in the koi swimming away and effectively smacking him in the face with its tail.

Ilia giggled.

"What a way with words you have."

"All the better... All the better."

Sesshomaru stood from his spot in the middle of the stream, and waded over to where she was at the bank, as the koi had decided she was a much safer companion than Sesshomaru had been.

"So pretty." She sighed, letting the koi nibble on her fingers.

"The red scales... they match your eyes."

"and the koi's eyes match yours. A golden honey color."

"yes."

"your never going to catch that fish. Not the way your doing it."

Sesshomaru looked down at her.

"And you suggest....?"

"you have to be more patient. You cant catch it by trying to snatch it." Ilia proved  her point by letting the koi slide over her fingers, barely moving.
"That advice doesn't suit me.  I make decisions swiftly."

"You're going to scare it away."

"...."

Sesshomaru contemplated his options and the advice given by the young woman. It struck him that the advice was universal, and he had to be patient with the young woman or it'd be her he scared away.

Then, it struck him as to why he would ever think such a thing.

Was... Was Inuyasha right?

No. Sesshomaru was certain that the hanyou could not have been right.

"Uhh... Sesshomaru?"

He looked down and noticed the distance between them had closed dramatically.
When had that happened?

"You said once that I do not indulge. I believe I wish to do so now."

"Uhhhh.... h-how so?"

" I shall let my actions speak for me."

His nose was a breath away from hers as his fingers slowly tilted up her chin. He could hear her heart rate speed up, and the blood flowed tantalizingly close to the surface again.

"Uh-Uh-Uh-Uh-Uh-Uh-Uh-Uh--..."

Had the flustered look she was wearing been what had attracted his father to Izayoi, Inuyasha's mother. He had to admit. It was... alluring. He twirled a piece of her silver hair around his forefinger, careful not to scratch her with his claws.

He put his finger to her lips, effectively shushing her.

"Let your actions speak for you. Your vocabulary seems....limited at the moment."

Ilia shrank back against his touch. She'd been in plenty of relationships, sure. But the male partner had never been like this.  She usually had to fight to be noticed. She normally had to entice to keep the spark alive. She never saw any of this coming.

His movements were slow, deliberate.

"Is this... how you recommend catching the fish?" He asked. She nodded, and he leaned back, eyes twinkling with mischief even though his face held no sign of liveliness.

As soon as he had began the onslaught on her nerves, he had recoiled, having gone back to catching the koi in the stream.

Ilia had no idea what had just happened.
--------------------------------------


"RASHAAAAAAA!!!" ilia sprinted to the young miko as she gathered herbs.

"Ilia-san, are you alright?" She asked, setting aside her basket and rising.

"NO!! he..."

Rasha immediately realized that something had happened between the tall Ishvalan girl and the taiyokai, so she lead the girl next to the basket and had her sit down as Ilia described what had happened at the river.  

"why is he toying with me?" Ilia asked. It was bad enough that he looked damn near ethereal,  but why did he want to make her so uncomfortable?

"its not that he's toying with you. He's trying to figure you out. That's all."

"Figure me out? Honestly. Figure. Me. Out.  He scared the habeebee's outta me!!"

Rasha giggled.

"Men have.... Interesting ways of finding things out... But rest assured. He's interested or he never would have bothered."

".... Maybe I should give him a taste of his own medicine..."

"Oh, I'm sure he'd love that."
___________________________


"You WHAT!? Are you CRAZY!!?? THE GIRL IS HUMAN, SESSHOMARU! YOU PROBABLY SCARED THE CRUD OUTTA HER!"

"Inuyasha.... Shut up. You're giving me a headache..."

"Look. I knew from the beginning you were interested. But HELL, man! What were you trying to do? Scare her away?"

"I said shut up."

"Sesshomaru-uncle-sama?" A small voice cooed. Sesshomaru looked down at the small child tugging tentatively at the hem of his jeans.

"Miss Ilia-san wants to talk to you at the river later tonight. She said she had... questions..."

"You are SO in trouble."
"... Shut up, Inuyasha."
_________________________________________


*names: Kenmaru, Gourairou, Raiben, Denben = from Shinwa-Tsuki*
"Ignorant people infuriate me."- carol--emiko-suzuki